Scottish Siblings
by HowAboutThat
Summary: Skimbleshanks has a comfortable life with his family, but his world's shattered and he has to flee with Jennyanydots from the one they thought they could trust. What will Skimble be willing to do to keep Jenny safe and from suffering? Will he lose himself and become something he'll despise? Find out their past here! Rated T for violence and... well you'll find out.
1. Happy Family

Summary: Skimbleshanks has always had to be responsible which explains why he's a little kittenish now (and the favorite uncle). Jennyanydots didn't have much responsibility, so she doesn't act kittenish anymore and doesn't get onto Skimble for behaving like a kit as she does for other older cats (like Tugger). Why? Find out now through their kittenhood! Mostly Skimble's third person pov. (I'll have them age at the same rate as humans since I didn't want to do conversions from human aging to cat aging.) You'll have to imagine the accents!

* * *

**Scottish Siblings**

**Theme song for story: Right Here by Ashes Remain**

* * *

An orange kit with brown tabby stripes tries to pounce on a brown tail and fails miserably. His own long brown tail lashes before he pounces again, hoping to capture the tail of an older tom with a brown and dark brown tabby. His frustration grows when he misses again and again and again. He can't see why he can't get the older tom's tail when it's _right there _for the taking, swaying lazily while the owner's glass-green eyes stay on the barn where cries of labor are muffled by the sounds around them and the closed doors of the barn. The brown tom can't be in there because he has to keep the orange tabby kitten out of trouble and so he's not in there with his mate.

"Marcus! Skimble! Come in here," a feminine Scottish voice calls.

Skimble, the kit, stops trying to get Marcus' tail and trots forward with the other cat and enters to see a pale orange she-cat with leopard spots, eyes chocolate. In her arms is a kit that's as orange as Skimble with tiger stripes and leopard spots, but her eyes are closed. Skimble cautiously moves forward to get a better view, but it seems no matter what he does to see and keep his distance he can't get a clear view on the bundle and the she-cat smiles.

"Would you like to meet your new sister?" she asks.

"Aye," he murmurs in the same accent, not taking his eyes off the newborn she-kit. She holds out the kit and Skimble instantly loves this new addition and smiles warmly. "She's beautiful... What's her name?"

"Jennyanydots... would you like to hold her?'

He nods excitedly. "Can I?" Gently he takes hold of his baby sister and he realizes that he's afraid he'll drop her, but he can't help but smile proudly and lovingly at her and whisper softy, "Hey Jenny. I'm your big brother Skimble... I promise to always take care of you."

Marcus and the worn-out queen share a smile and gaze at their two kits, their four year old son and their newborn daughter, with love and pride shining in their eyes. Skimble knows he'll love and protect her always and forever no matter what.

_**-Line-**_

Skimble nuzzles his younger sister about five months later, and he helps her walk when their father comes in. Skimble brightens up and hugs his father before said cat picks up his daughter and nuzzles her, kissing her cheek. He went patrolling and hunting, but by the looks of it hunting was hard because he only cause one mouse when he usually gets three: one for his two children who don't have big appetites, one for himself, and one for his mate.

"How're my beautiful kits?" he asks.

"I'm teaching Jenny how to walk," Skimble says proudly. "It'll only take a day for her to walk like us!"

Marcus smiles and ruffles his son's head fur. "You're a good big brother! You're gonna be a great tom one day."

Skimble beams. "Really?" he asks.

"Of course. Now, let's go train," he says, putting the mice where Jenny won't get them.

Skimble nods and follows his father out into the field where they crouch and circle each other. They lunge for one another and wrestle with each other and Skimble's mother comes out, picking up Jenny when she gets too close and putting her on her hip and then putting her free paw on the other hip as she glares at the two toms training rather roughly with one another. The mother's eyes glint with worry as she sees the pure glee Skimble's eyes gained in wrestling so roughly with his father, the same look his father got.

"Alright! Break it up, the mice are done cooking," she says.

The toms stop at the promise of mice roasted on a spit. She kisses her son's head and nuzzles her mate before they walk into the barn and eat their food together as a family, chattering about the events of the day and then the males go to the entrance of the barn and the mothers eyes flash with worry.

"Where are you going?" she asks.

"I'm showing him the territory," Marcus answers. "We'll be back before sunset."

She nods. "Okay. Be careful."

"Always!"

Skimble walks beside his father, trying to match his longer strides, but it makes him much slower than usual, but his father shows him the very edge of their territory, which is along a river past the farm's fence. Another two borders was the actual fence, and the last was a fallen oak. Marcus promised that Skimble could roam around the territory on his own one day, but when he's more capable of defending himself. He walks with his father around the territory until it nears dusk and they return to the barn where Skimble hugs his mother and father and says goodnight before he curls next to his sister and falls asleep.

_**-Line-**_

Skimble wakes up to quiet sobbing in the middle of the night and he sees Jenny crying. He immediately hugs her to his chest and shushes her and she buries her face in his chest. He looks towards where their parents sleep and they're still slumbering. He strokes her head fur and waits for her to calm down.

"What's wrong?" he finally asks.

She sniffles. "I-I had a nightmare... I was alone and you, ma, and da left me."

"Oh, Jen," he mutters, hugging her closer before he breathes deeply and sings in a shaky voice, "_I'll be right here, now, to hold you when the sky falls down. I will always be the one that took your place. When the rain falls I won't let go. I'll be right here..._"

Jenny looks up at him and it's obvious she's putting all of her trust into her brother. "Really?"

"Always and forever," he promises, nuzzling his beloved little sister. "Not let's try to get some sleep."

She nods and snuggles closer to her brother and he hugs her tightly before falling asleep.

* * *

Skimbleshanks, now seven, and Jennyanydots, now three, play about as usual, not having a care in the world, and play tag. Their mother watches them while their father's out hunting. Since winter's here, food's scarce and it makes it harder to feed the family. The mother now seems nervous around Marcus, always casting him wary glances and getting extremely nervous when he goes out with either of their kits, especially Skimble, who he takes out frequently, but she doesn't show it much. Skimble tags his sister and dashes away, but she touches the tip of his long brown tail with her paw and he has to turn sharply to get a chance of tagging her back, but before this can happen Marcus returns holding three mice, a good hunting day.

"I'm back!" he says with a smile.

"Da's back!" the kittens cry, hugging their father.

Their mother smiles. "That big mouse for the kits?"

His eyes flash with frustration before he nods cheerfully. "Yes. They can full their bellies!"

The kits thank their father and immediately dig in beside each other while their parents go into the barn to eat alone. Skimble lets his sister eat the rest of the mouse and sits looking out at the sunset, his glass-green eyes on the horizon. It's a beautiful day, admittedly, and he doesn't want this perfect day to end. Jenny lays down beside her brother and watches the other end of the sky, watching the starts emerge. That's one thing about them. While Skimble watches one world leave, Jenny watches a new one come. It's something weird that they do, but they don't change it. Suddenly their content world is shattered as the two worlds are one, joined in the middle of the sky, when a scream pierces the air.

The two kits share a look before rushing to the barn where their mother screamed. They near the barn and peek in only to have their entire worlds shattered to pieces. Their mother lays on the ground bloodied and broken. They look for their father, expecting him to be dead from trying to protect their mother, but this next thing shocks them more than anything. Their father stands over their mother with malicious glee in his glass-green eyes and he's covered with blood, but he has no wounds, and his claws are stained with blood while a feral grin is on his face. Jenny lets out a quiet whine and Skimble grabs her paw and runs in the direction of the river border. Beyond that, he doesn't know much more than he can see, but he'll find a way.

_He killed ma... how could he do that?_ Skimble wonders as he runs with his sister in tow. _Well I don't care to find out. My top priority is to protect Jenny._

That's his purpose in life, he realizes, to protect his little sister no matter what. He tightens his grip on her paw and pushes himself faster, half-dragging her to get them as far as possible. When they reach the river he stops and looks behind them, ears pricked for the slightest sound and he's keeping aware of any fresh scents that blow on the breeze. He has to do whatever it takes to protect Jenny and keep her away from their madtom of a father.

"We need to wash our scents away and walk in the river for a little while before we get out," he says.

"I-it's cold," she complains.

He nods. "I know, but... I'll keep you warm. For now you've got to trust me," he says.

This time she nods and then they get in the water and soak themselves in the water and Skimble hugs Jenny to his chest before he allows himself to float down the river. They stay like this for about five minutes after they're outside of their territory (a grand total of eight minutes) before he swims to the river bank and sets his sister down. He licks her fur in the wrong direction to help her dry off faster while his body shakes from the cold hair touching his soaked body. She does the same for him and they're dried off within minutes before Skimble looks around to get a basic idea of their surroundings.

"We should be near a a city with those scents," he observes. "We can go there and hide for a little while before we move on."

She nods and they go into the city by nightfall. They find an abandoned building and go in there, curling up and falling asleep against each other to stay warm.

_**-Line-**_

Skimble walks up and looks out to see there's a heavy blanket of snow. He knows their father won't travel through this since it's still cold, winter has officially come. Jenny stirs and Skimble looks down at her. This, he feels, would be the perfect hunting ground because nice have retreated into the abandoned building for warmth. He shakes the stiffness from his muscles and nudges his sister until she blinks open her chocolate eyes and looks up at him.

"What?" she asks before she looks around confused. He waits for realization to kick him and she whimpers and tears up. "Why would da do that?"

Skimble shakes his head as he holds his sister. "I don't know..." he whispered and when she's done crying he holds her at arm's length. "I'm going hunting upstairs. I want you to stay here, but if you hear someone come in, run and hide, okay?"

She nods and he nuzzles her comfortingly before going to the stairs. He's reluctant at first, but he forces himself to go and he's on the second floor in an instant and the smell of mice and rats hands in the air, but mainly nice. There's no birds, but perhaps, he thinks, it's on another floor. Either way he scans the area for mice and when he spots it he quickly moves forward and kills it with a swift bite. To get another he'll have to do some work because they're now alerted to his presence... or at least in this room. He creeps into another and kills another. He feels this is enough for tonight before he carries them back down to the first floor where his sister's staring at a corner.

"I caught some mice. I caught one for you and one for me," he says, trying to be cheerful, but it's hard to be cheerful when his ma's dead. "You hungry?"

She shakes her head and he knows the feeling. He isn't hungry either, but he needs to make sure she's taken care of. He sets the mice down and hugs her while she sobs into his fur. He knows he won't cry, at least not in front of her. He has to be strong for her and take care of her. He rocks her gently and sings the same song he did before when she had nightmares. That always calms her down, so he feels it should work this time. When she stops crying he wipes the tears off of her cheeks and murmurs sweet nothings to her.

"Listen... for a little while we're stuck here, but there's plenty of prey. In about a week or two we'll have to leave."

"Why? Isn't this far enough?"

He sadly shakes his head. "I'm sorry, but we have to keep going. If we don't..." he trails off and sighs. "Trust me, okay?"

"I trust you," she promises

Skimble takes her mind off of it by playing games: tag, hide-and-seek, and many of those silly paw games that he'd usually never play. When Jenny fell asleep that night he covered his face and cries over the death of their mother and the loss of their father. He wipes his tears away and makes sure he looks presentable so when he wakes up she doesn't question him. He curls against his sister to keep her warm and then falls asleep.


	2. Division

HAT: Yay! Second chapter, but so sad how I ended the last one... Anyway! Moving on to the disclaimer and story, and don't be afraid to look at my other stories!

_**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot and my OCs... there's quite a few of them. ENJOY AND REVIEW!**_

* * *

A week later the snow was thinning and he catches extra mice than needed for their journey. They walk to the other wise of the city and they stop when the wind shifts, blowing the smell of home towards them. They turn and look back, sad about the loss, and then the smell of blood reminds them of what must be done. Skimble turns and leads his sister into the wilderness of the other side of the city and they keep going. For days they eat their mice sparingly and when they run out they luckily get to another city. They try hunting, but they're reduced to scavenging for scraps, but still Skimble encourages Jenny to keep going in hopes of finding another city a few days ago and he carries her on his back as he trudges through the snow, telling her sweet nothings and dreams for the future where they're safe and happy in a place they can call home.

Finally they make it to a city Skimble says they can spend the rest of the winter and they find a cardboard box to sleep in. Despite trying they can't hunt so they're again forced to scavenge for food again... this is their first time in this new city...

_**-Line-**_

Skimble sniffs the air and follows the scent of food, no matter how light it is. He finds good place where there's restaurant garbage and he leads his sister over, prepared to dumpster dive when a tough looking tabby with tortoiseshell fur comes out with hackles raised and amber eyes blazing in anger.

"Go find your own dumpster! This one's mine!" he growls.

Skimble's own hackles raise and he growls. "We're just looking for some food."

"Well food 'round here's scarce, so looks like I'll have to get rid of some competition."

Jenny whimpers. "Skimble..."

"Stay behind me," he orders, holding out his arm to guard her as the queen prowls forward. "I don't hit queens, but if you make me, I'll fight you mercilessly!"

"Bring it, kit!"

Skimble sees her break into a run and he lunges for her, digging his claws in her shoulders and using his weight to bring her down. Skimble wrestles violently with the queen for merely seconds and he comes out on top, the queen running away, bloody and scared while the orange tabby is left crouching there and breathing heavily, glass-green eyes alive with an almost malicious delight in his victory and his claws have blood on them from the fight. He calms down and tends to his wounds, noticing Jenny shaking.

"It's alright, we can eat now," he assures, nuzzling her. "This is our territory for the rest of the winter."

She nods, still shaking, but they make a new home in the big box filled with clothes next to te dumpster. This is where they'll be for the rest of the winter...

_**-Line-**_

For the rest of winter Skimble protects their territory fiercely and his sister seems to be closed off from him, which worries the tom-kit immensely. The final night in their little territory they sit down and she won't meet his eyes, which frustrates and worries him.

"What's the matter, Jen? Why won't you look at me?" She doesn't answer. "Come on, Jen, talk to me. You're all I have and if I lose you..."

She looks up at him and sees tears in his eyes. "You have da's eyes... and every time you finish fighting you look like him..."

He closes his eyes and lowers his head. "I'm sorry..."

She moves forward and hugs him. "Yer no' da," she says with her Scottish accent thickening with her fierceness.

"You're right, but what if I become him?" he asks.

"You won't."

He hugs his sister. "I promise not to be like him..."

"What are we?" she asks suddenly.

"We're brother and sister, we're cats, we're Jennyanydots and Skimbleshanks, and... we're orphans," he says with a sigh.

"But... da's still alive," she says in confusion.

"Well... he's dead to me..."

She nods. "We're orphans..."

He sighs. "Let's go. We need to leave," he says, nuzzling his sister and noticing how much thinner she was. It wasn't as much as him, granted, but they _did _put on weight after their traveling to this city. They walk out of the ally, paw in paw, and start walking along the sidewalk, looking around them for anyone that wants to get back at Skimble for chasing them off. When they near the edge of the city they hear toots nearby. Skimble sifts through his memories for the sound and he remembers his father telling him that it was a train and telling him about them, or at least what he knew about them.

_A train! We can get farther away faster by train!_ he thinks before he quickens his pace. "Hurry, Jen, we need to get on a train."

She doesn't question it and when he sees a train he goes to the caboose and gets his sister on first before climbing on himself. He gets them inside and finds a perfect hiding place for the both of them and they squeeze into it and wait for the train to take off. Once it gets moving they relax and go along for the ride. Suddenly the sounds of a cat reaches them and Skimble peeks out and sees a black tom with a white muzzle and arms and paws in a waistcoat looking around. Skimble pushes himself and Jenny back a little farther. He didn't expect a cat to actually _work _on the train and he knew they were going to be found because the cat's scent wafts to them.

"Stowaways, huh?" he says with an English accent.

Skimble positions himself between Jenny and the cat, making himself to be as big as possible as he hisses, "Stay back!"

"You want a fight?" he asks as Skimble comes out from the shadows and his eyes fill with shock. "A kitten?"

Jenny pokes her head out.

"Two kittens? What're you doing here?" he asks.

Skimble relaxes slightly and grabs his sister's paw. "We have to go somewhere else..."

"Where're your parents?"

Skimble's eyes, ears, and tail lower. "We're orphans..."

"Oh... well I'm Ruthenbalt, and your names are?"

"Skimbleshanks and Jennyanydots," the tom-kit replies.

"Well, you can both travel on here for as long as you like, but if you don't want to stay there's a stop where we'll be stopping at in a few days where it's a good place to stay if you go to a certain place."

The older brother, though liking the idea of staying on a train that moves constantly, looks to his younger sister. "What do you want to do?"

She shakes her head. "I want to get off..."

"Okay... where's the place you recommend?"

"It's called Scotland Yard. I visit there often and they're very friendly, however the cats outside of the junkyard... they're the ones you have to watch out for, which is why I'll be giving you the safest route there. Also, ask the guard for Alabaster or Deuteronomy, they're good friends of mine and very high in rank, so tell them I sent you," he says.

"Yes, sir," Skimble nods.

"No need for formalities... are you hungry?" he asks.

They nod reluctantly before he leads them to the kitchen, telling them of how things work as they go. The cook gives them milk and Ruthenbalt gives them a mouse he had caught earlier. They eat and drink to their fill and Skimble smiles at how content his sister seems at last. He, himself, hasn't been this happy in a while. If this is nice, he wonders what the Heavieside's like...

_**-Line-**_

The next afternoon he walks between carts on his own a little while later, leaving Ruthenbalt to his work and his sister napping. He laughs at how easy it is and does it for a little while, going between carts just for the heck of it and after about ten minutes of doing this he feels one last jump will be food when suddenly he slips and lands heavily on the metal connecting the carts. He cries out in alarm and pain before he notices how fast everything's moving as his fur whips in the wind.

"Help!" he screams, though the horn toots loudly, drowning out his screams.

The metal he clutches jars, throwing him up and over and he's falling to a gruesome death. He shuts his glass-green eyes and prays he'll get to Heaviside and Jenny will be alright without him, when suddenly something grabs his scruff. He opens is eyes and he looks at who has him: Ruthenbalt! The tom hauls the kit onto the platform and then into the cart before he closes the door and turns to check on the tom-kit that almost died.

"What the _hell _is wrong with you? You do know that that's dangerous, right?" he demands.

The young one bows his head in shame. "I'm sorry... I was just jumping around and then I slipped," he stutters.

The railway cat sighs. "Just so long as you're safe," he says, ruffling the orphan's head fur. "Come on, your sister should be waking up."

They walk to where Jenny's sleeping and Skimble smiles at how she runs directly into his arms as if it's been forever since she's seen him. He decides that he won't tell her about his misadventure between the carts, after all she needs to be happy and telling her that will make her sad and/or mad. He can't stand when she's either, so might as well keep it from happening by keeping this little tale to himself, at least for now. Maybe when they're safe and it'a all behind them, he'll tell her about it.

_**-Line-**_

Jenny's popular on the train already with the passengers and crew and so is Skimble since he walks around with Ruthenbalt and helps him with his railway duties whenever he can. When the final day comes Skimble's a little disappointed to leave, but he knows he has to keep Jenny happy, so he does whatever he can. As soon as they stop Ruthenbalt comes with them to just outside of the station and he seems reluctant to let them go out on their own, but Skimble assures him he can at least buy Jenny time to get help if anything occurs so he allows them to leave.

"Do you remember the directions for the safest path?" Ruthenbalt asks.

"Two blocks down then make a left, go two more blocks then turn right, and then after a block turn left and then left for another block and it's to our right," Skimble rattles off for the third time today. "Deuteronomy's Alabaster's son and ask for them and such."

Ruthenbalt nods. "Right, right... I'll miss you little rascals. You should see me in a few weeks," he promises as he hugs them both.

"We'll miss you too," Jenny says, nuzzling the older cat.

"You'd best be going before it gets dark."

The kittens nod and walk paw in paw away from the kind railway cat and they go two blocks before they make a left and Skimble feels like they're being followed. When they round a corner he picks up his sister and runs down the ally he tucks her into a hiding spot out of sight of anyone that happens to be passing by.

"Listen, Jen, I want you to wait for me here. If I don't come back-"

"Don't say that," she interrupts.

He takes her face between his paws and forces her to meet his gaze. "If I don't come back, make sure it's safe before you go left at the end of this block and and then left again at the end of that one. The place you're looking for is that... the names are Alabaster and Deuteronomy and whatever you do don't look for me, go there and be safe, okay?"

She nods with tears in her eyes.

He nuzzles her. "I love you..."

"I love you too," she whispers, nuzzling him back.

"I swear I'll come back to you," he promises.

She nods and Skimble goes back down here they came from and then makes a left and then a right and he runs into the one following them: a large white and red and black splashed fur who gets a firm grip on his arm. The tom-kit struggles against the iron grip and digs his claws into the tom's flesh, but it doesn't do anything. Still, even though he knows it's useless, he tries to escape for his sister. She's waiting for him to come back for her.

"Let go of me!" the orange tabby kit hisses fiercely.

"You're a fierce Scottish kit... long way from home, aren't you?"

"Me da'll come fer me!" Skimble roars, though _that _much is already true.

The tom chuckles darkly as he drags him away. "He'll never find us."

Skimble struggles for a little while longer before he's knocked out and his last thoughts are a prayer to the Everlasting Cat that Jenny makes it to safety.

* * *

Jenny:

She watches her brother run off and waits for him. She waits for a long time before she realizes that he's not coming back. She slips out of her hiding place and pads, following the directions Skimble gave her, barely able to see through her misty eyes. She's afraid for herself and her brother. Skimble's been the one keeping her alive and she owes him her life, but now she wonders if he got tired of her and came up with the lie to get rid of her... but he promised her he'd come back... and he didn't. She feels abandoned as she makes her way to the junkyard and she sees a large tortoiseshell tom and she hesitates before she walks forward hesitantly, catching his eye.

"A-are you Deuteronomy or Alabaster?" she asks.

His sapphire eyes narrow. "Why do you want to know?"

"A friend told me to look for them. His name's Ruthenbalt," she says.

"You know Ruthenbalt?" he asks and she nods. He sighs. "Alright, follow me."

She hesitates, unsure if she should trust this cat, after all both her father and brother warned her against talking to strange cats and Ruthenbalt told her not to talk to anyone but Deuteronomy or Alabaster. She shakes her head and backs away.

"What? Do you want to see them or not?" he asks.

She nods and then sinks lower. "Bring them here..."

He sighs and then runs inside. She almost thinks that he's not coming back when a large young tom with brown fur, both light and dark, and dark brown eyes and an older tom with white and brown tabby fur and hazel eyes comes with the tortoiseshell cat. She looks back and forth and can tell Alabaster's the brown and white tabby and the one with mixed browns is Deuteronomy. She hesitantly moves forward and her wide chocolate eyes flashes between the three toms.

"It's alright," Deauteronomy says gently, a kind smile on his face and warm eyes observing her.

"Skinny, isn't she?" Alabaster mutters to the unnamed tom.

"Hn," he nods.

"Ignore them... what's your name?"

"J-Jennyanydots..." she whispers.

Deuteronomy smiles. "That's a beautiful name... where are your parents? Is there anyone looking after you?"

She lowers her gaze and shakes her head before speaking with a shaky voice, "No... I'm an orphan and my big brother... he abandoned me."

She jumps when she feels a warm paw on her shoulder and sees Alabaster. "We'll take care of you."

"Really?" she asks.

He nods and she throws her arms around him and buries her face in his shoulder as she sobs, spilling her emotions out and giving them to the older tom.

* * *

Jennyanydots: HAT couldn't be here because someone got her six bars of milk chocolate caramel so she'll be here another time. She'd like for me to tell you to review.


	3. Three Years

HAT: OKay, so I know I've been posting less often, but... so much crap... ANYWAY, I hope this chapter makes up for it... somewhat. You'l understand later.

_**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot and all of the OCs.**_

* * *

Skimble lifts his head three years later and his glass-green eyes aren't broken, after all he still had strength left in him, but the glass is cracked, with webs throughout them. The once kind eyes hold hate as the large red and black tom saunters down the stairs towards his favorite and most hated prisoner. Skimble over the past three years, has had a problem being with the other cats and whenever they want to mess with him and try to assert their dominance he quickly shows them he's a kit not to be trifled with. When the tom stops in front of the tom-kit, the kit snarls at the older cat, only able to go so far due to the chain on his leg that holds him in place.

"You're going to behave during the sale, is that understood? Or do you have to be broken afterwards?" he asks.

"I'll never give in!" Skimble growls with a thick Scottish accent,

"Oh? And you're going to be defiant forever?!"

"Yes, Barron. Even if I die, I'll never allow you to break me!"

The back of Baroon's paw hits Skimble's cheek, giving him a bruise. Hateful glass-green eyes meet cold icy blue ones before Barron leaves the room and after a while he brings down a white she-cat that looks at Skimble with interest that makes him uncomfortable. When she nears he lashes at her with a snarl and keeps the snarl on his face after he's retreated.

"I don't know if I want a feral slave," she mutters.

"He's hardworking, just doesn't like cats too much," Barron says.

"I hate all of you and hope you die!" said kit roars, trying his best to reach forward and rake his claws on either of them.

The she-cat shakes her head. "I don't want him! Good day!"

When the door closes Barron pounces on Skimble and rakes his claws across his chest. "That's the third customer you've driven away this week! I should kill you for this," he hisses before he gets up and storms out, slamming the door so hard that it gets jarred open.

_This is my chance!_ Skimble thinks before he quickly unlocks the chain on his ankle and quickly licks his wounds clean before he walks out and rushes out of the nearest window. Once he's sure he hasn't been discovered he runs into a random direction, the train station, and finds a nearby stream and rolls in it to hide his scent, old memories flooding back. He breathes deeply and digs back into the memory where Ruthenbalt told him the directions to get to the junkyard.

_Two blocks down then make a left, go two more blocks then turn right, and then after a block turn left and then left for another block and it's to our right_, he thinks, going down the long forgotten streets. He stops where he hid his sister, as if expecting her to be there, but it's obvious she's not there, and he continues on, finding a waistcoat to put on to gather the blood. It's the color of blood, so no one will notice. He touches his bruise lightly and shakes his head. He just needs to make sure Jenny made it. With that in mind he keeps going and finds that it's easier to find the junkyard than he thought. He sees a cat with multiple brown colored fur and his eyes are dark brown. Relief floods over him and he moves forward.

"E-excuse me," he says, finding the polite child that used to be there. "I'm looking for Deuteronomy or Alabaster... Ruthenbalt sent me."

"What's your name?" he asks warily.

"Skimbleshanks, sir," replies the tom-kit and immediately the tom looks angry.

"Follow me," he says before turning and leading the ten-year-old through the gates past another guard.

Skimble feels tired, but he doesn't show it as he walks with shoulders back and head held high, but when he sees a six-year-old she-kit with tiger stripes and leopard spots he immediately relaxes, and whispers, "Jenny..."

Almost as if she heard him he looks at him and her chocolate eyes are shocked. "Skimble..." she whispers with an English accent.

"Pollicle!" a tom-kit with all white fur except his ears and muzzle hisses, shoving Skimble to the ground.

The tom-kit lands on his rear and he's confused as he looks up at the adult tom.

"Pollicle," a she-cat with red fur and white stripes hisses.

He doesn't care because he's staring at his sister. "You're alive."

She scoffs. "Like you care... you abandoned me."

His glass-green eyes widen in shock. "What?... You think I _abandoned _you? I'd never! I swore I'd come back to you and I did."

"After three years? You want something from her," a black she-cat says, hugging Jenny to her chest.

A protective surge goes through his blood as his hackles raise. "Get away from my sister."

"You gave up the right to call her your sister when you abandoned her!" a tom with brown and white tabby fur says, coming out with Deuteronomy, hazel eyes glaring daggers at Skimble.

"I-" he starts, but then he stops. If he can't convince them otherwise, than he'll just leave. "Fine... I just had to see she was alive. I'll leave."

Jenny doesn't object, but he notices she can't look him in the eyes.

"Why can't you look me in the eyes? Is it the same reason as before?" he asks quietly at the end.

"I don't want to look into the eyes of a brother who abandoned me."

His heart cracks and shatters, but he doesn't give this away as he nods. "I understand. Bye, Jen."

Skimble walks towards the exit, but his body shudders and eyes roll to the back of his head and he stops, paw going to his chest as he collapses, the paw that was against his chest covered in crimson from his blood. Jenny, though hating her brother, is afraid to lose him. She rips open the waist coat and gasps at seeing his deep wounds.

"He's hurt!"

"Good riddance," the black she-cat says.

"Shut up, Kohana," Jenny snarls. "He may be a terrible cat, but he's my brother."

_He's the only tie to my old life I have left,_ she thinks as her brother's taken to the Gumbie Cat.

* * *

Skimble opens his eyes and pain. He groans and moves to prod his chest, but a paw slaps his away. He looks up at a she-cat with white fur and black leopard spots. He'd confused and scared so he immediately sits up and backs away despite his pain and bares his teeth and flattening his ears to his head and glaring at her with hate and fear filled eyes. He assumes it's another slave buyer that Barron managed to sell him to while he was asleep.

"Barron sold me to you didn't he?" he asks.

"Sold?" a familiar voice asks and his gaze flashes to Jenny.

"Nothing," he lies and forces himself to relax before he notices her tears. "Jen... why're you crying?"

She scowls. "I hate you... but I don't want you to die."

He slides out of the bed and kneels in front of her, taking her smaller paw in his. "Are you okay?"

"I guess," she murmurs before she shifts. "Do you think about mum and dad?"

"Um... sometimes, but hardly ever," he says, eyes sad.

"Do you remember what happened to them?" He stays quiet. "Tell me."

He shakes his head. "If you can't remember, I think it's better if you don't know."

Deuteronomy scowls. "I think she has as much of a right to know."

Skimble bites his bottom lip to keep it from quivering. "It's too painful to talk about."

Jenny scoffs. "I had to talk about how my brother abandoned me. I'm sure you can talk about it."

Alabaster scowls at her. "Jenny. Be patient."

"Ma and Da... do you even remember what it was like with them?" the older brother asks weakly, eyes on the blurry floor, but in the crystal clear past.

She slowly shakes her head. "No..."

"You don't even remember who you miss or why you miss them," he says bitterly. "I wish I could say that."

"What happened?" she asks again.

"They died," he says bluntly.

"_How _did they die?"

"Ma was killed... I don't know exactly what happened to da," he admits.

She blinks. "What do you mean? Did he abandon us?"

"In a sense," he says slowly. "Why should it matter?"

"I need to know," she growls.

_How can she want to know this? I'd give anything to forget what happened,_ he thinks before he feels a warm thumb on his cheeks and he looks up at Jenny.

"_I can see every tear you've cried. It's like an ocean in you're eyes. All the pain and the scars have left you cold. I can see it in the fears you face, through a storm that never goes away,_" she sings softly.

"_Don't believe all the lies that you've been told... I'll be right here, now, to hold you when the sky falls down. I will always be the one that took your place. When the rain falls, I won't let go. I'll be right here,_" he finishes for her.

The room's silent for a little while. "If you didn't abandon me, what happened?"

"I... was taken somewhere. The one that took me gave me my scar," he admits, eyes lowering.

Jenny, for the first time in three years, loves her brother and hugs him fiercely. "I thought you hated me... and left me."

He hugs her back and squeezes his eyes shut. "Never. You're all that kept me going for three years. I had to check on you the first opportunity I got," he murmurs before he sighs. "But I have to go. He'll track me here."

Jenny shakes her head. "No! You have to stay."

"She's right. Your wounds haven't healed yet," the snow leopard looking cat says.

"It's better I'm left for dead," he insists.

"Silhouette talk him out of it!" Jenny begs.

Skimble observes his sister and sighs. "I'll stay... you'll need protection anyways, I guess."

She beams. "I can't wait for you to meet the one that adopted me. His name's Coristo. He's like a dad," she says.

The tom-kit nods and allows himself to be dragged out of the Gumbie Cat's den and he immediately gets scorned upon exit. He lowers himself and Jenny gives him a kind smile and he smiles shyly back before they walk straight to a den. He enters and sees the one that brought him here, a white and brown tabby, and a tortoiseshell tom.

"The tortoiseshell is my dad, Coristo, the white and brown tabby's Alabaster, and the brown one's Deuteronomy."

Skimble acknowledges each of them, though eyeing the three of them. "Nice to meet all of you."

"You seem happier to be around him," Deuteronomy notes.

"It was a misunderstanding," she says, grabbing Skimble's paw and he squeezes back. "He didn't abandon me."

Suddenly there's screaming and he pushes his sister deeper into the den, whispering to her to stay inside no matter what, and rushes out to see two cats he never wanted to see again for as long as he lived this life. He knew one was going to come sooner or later, but he never expected the other to tag along. Barron and...

"Da," Skimble whispers, looking at Marcus.

* * *

HAT: Haha! I told you that you'd understand... cliffhanger.

Rumpus: Why do you sound so weird... and why are your eyes shining so animatedly?

HAT: I watched Adventure Time!

Rumpus: *face palm* Of course.

HAT: Could you say it?

Rumpus: Review!


	4. Family Reunion Gone Wrong

HAT: Wow... I'm posting less and less... well, that comes when you're swamped. Hope that this makes up for it.

_**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot and all of the OCs. If I owned Cats, there'd be a random rabbit that some cats would chase... teehee.**_

* * *

"Skimble! Where's your sister?" Marcus purrs with his Scottish accent.

"She's dead," Skimble lies, hackles rising. "What're you two doing here?"

"Collecting our property," Barron says. "Marcus, here, has bought you."

Skimble bares his teeth and flattens his ears. "You're sick, the both of you! I hate you!"

Marcus' eyes glint with malicious glee. "Do you remember your training, lad?"

The wounded tom-kit runs forward and digs his claws in the chest of Barron first, tackling him to the ground before he twists to lash at his father, but the older tom's too fast and bats him away and Barron gets up and the two elder toms circle Skimble. The Scottish kit's eyes flicker back and forth before Barron lunges from behind and he shifts and throws the red and black tom into Marcus' direction, but his father's quick and dodges the flying body before lunging for his son. Skimble digs his claws into the dark fur of the tom and pins him for a second before he's thrown off and his wounds reopen and new wounds forming when his father rakes his claws down his back.

"You'd save yourself a lot of trouble if you'd just come with me."

"Never!" Skimble hisses, pushing his father away, but when a she-kit's scream reaches his ears he whirls and sees Barron with an orange and black calico two-year-old she-kit, a claw to her throat. "Let her go!"

"Then come with us!" Barron hisses.

Skimble looks into the copper eyes of the she-kit and lowers his head. "I-I'll go... just let her go."

"Looks like never came fast," Marcus chuckles darkly.

Skimble snarls at his father as his arm's roughly grabbed. "I hate you," he hisses before turning to Barron. "We had a deal! Let her go!"

"Hm... I don't think I will," he says cockily.

Skimble tears away, making a new wound on his arm, and he sprints forward, grabbing the tom's wrist and breaking it with surprising ease before he wraps his arms around the she-kit and backs away, holding her to his chest as he glares at the intruders. The calico kitten whimpers against his chest and he tightens his grip.

"You're safe with me," he whispers.

"I'm scared," she whispers.

"_I'll be right here, now, to hold you when the sky falls down,_" Skimble sings shakily to her, tightening his grip on her as he jumps out of the way of Barron and he uses his free arm to swipe at his capture. "_I will always be the one to take your place_."

Marcus aims for the she-kit in his arms and Skimble spins in the air and the claws rake down his back, his blood dripping to the ground.

"_When the rain falls, I won't let go... I'll be right here,_" Skimble ends with a shaky breath and he closes his eyes.

"Stay awake," she begs.

His glass-green eyes meet her scared copper ones and he nods. "Go to an adult," he mutters, eyes glowing softly, guarding her as she rushes to a black and orange calico she-cat that he presumes is her mother. Skimble wonders why no one else is helping him, but he sees that a magical boarder's held between them. "Why?"

"You're my blood. You love to brawl as much as I do, and I can see the blood lust in your eyes. You're just like me."

"No! I'm nothing like you," Skimble growls.

"Look at your paws," Marcus purrs.

Slowly the orange tabby's glass-green eyes lower to his paws and he sees blood covering them. His paws start shaking and he falls to his knees and realize that Marcus is right. His eyes fill with tears and he can't look away from the weapons as the words _I'm a monster _run through his mind repeatedly, echoing in his mind and seeming to go on until he starts to believe it himself. He never wanted to be what his father became, but he loves fighting... or he doesn't mind it... he doesn't even know the answer to that anymore.

"You want to be a killer too," Marcus whispers in his ear.

_You're not him,_ a long forgotten voice whispers in his ear... the voice of his mother.

"No!" Skimble roars, eyes glowing brightly. "I'm not like you so leave me alone!"

Skimble lunges forward with new energy and he rakes his claws down Marcus' back and then turns to Barron and rakes his claws over his chest before they can even react. Marcus grabs his son and throws him into Barron's arms and Barron pins him against a barrier, hate and respect in his eyes as he looks at the kitten that had been his merchandise for three years and only twice been sold only to be brought straight back.

"Still have the light in your eyes," he mutters, claw going along his collarbone. "Looks like I'll have to snuff it out."

Barron's claws dig into Skimble's shoulder and the kit lets out a shout of pain, glass-green eyes filling with tears as he struggles to get the claws out. His glowing eyes lock on Barron and he reaches forward and rakes his claws on Barrons shoulder near his throat but the slave owner backs away before he can get a fatal injury and drops the kit before Skimble makes his move and grabs the back of Barron's neck with his claws digging in the flesh before he manages to get his own father and he makes the two older toms kneel in front of him so he can look them in the eyes.

"Leave here and never come back," Skimble growls before he makes scratches over their left eyes and shoving them in the direction of the exit.

When the two are confirmed to be out of the junkyard Jenny runs to her brother and throws her arms around his torso, not caring how bloody he is. "Why'd you say I was dead... why'd you lie about dad?"

"He'd kill you..." Skimble mutters, eyes starting to droop. "He killed..."

And then his world goes black.

* * *

HAT: Yeah, it's a short chapter, but the next one'll be longer... maybe... I haven't looked...

Pouncival: *rolls eyes* You're one of those... special authors aren't you?

HAT: *giggles* I know. Will you say it?

Pouncival: *grins* Sure! Review!

HAT: *backs away* Now come on! I think I hear Skimble and Jenny having it out!

Pouncival: That tom sure loves his Scotch... hey, you think you'll be able to tell of _why _he likes Scotch so much?

HAT: Sure, that sounds doable.

Jennyanydots: I'm telling you, you're an alcoholic!

Skimbleshanks: I don't _always _have Scotch in my tea, you always come around when I do! Besides, it's only, literally, a few drops. You're over exaggerating!

Pouncival: Don't you just love the sound of them arguing?

HAT: *breathes deeply* Yes... yes I do. Especially over this subject. Still up for debate!

Pouncival: They're still here.

HAT: Oh, yeah... *waves* Bye!

Pouncival: *waves* Buh-bye!


	5. Forgiveness

HAT: This chapter... this chapter... IDK, find out.

_**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot and all of the OCs... you don't know what would happen if **_**I _owned Cats._**

* * *

When he opens his eyes it's day and he's hurting all over, but he's alive. He looks over at Jenny and she has the calico she-kit he saved the day before in her lap. He gets up with a quiet groan and a paw gently pushes him down. He looks up at Silhouette whose sapphire eyes narrow at him. He knows he has to lay back down and that she's a little more than irritated at him for... well he doesn't know why she's mad at him, but he knows.

"How could you be so stupid as to fight while injured?"

"I had to... they were looking for me and no one else could fight them," Skimble mutters to her, lowering his gaze. "I told you it'd be better if I were dead."

She smacks his arm. "_Don't _ever say that again. You're a good cat, Skimble, but you're reckless. Jenny almost lost you a second time."

"What's done is done... how're they?"

"Jenny's confused about you lying about your father and Imarina's worried and wants to know if you'll live so she can thank you for saving her life," the Gumbie Cat explains.

He nods and rubs his head to find it's bandaged. "So... I'm on bed rest?"

This time she nods. "Yes."

Skimble lies flat and waits for his guests to wake up and it's Imarina that's up first. "Hey," he whispers.

"Hey," she says. "Thanks for saving me yesterday."

"No problem," he says, giving her a winning smile.

"Imarina! is he up yet?" calls someone else as they enter and Skimble looks up to see a calico she-kit about his age that looks a bit like Imarina. "Oh, he is. I'm Mystia. Nice to meet you."

"Sk-"

"Skimbleshanks, the one that abandoned his baby sister," she says coldly.

He frowns, but doesn't correct her.

"Be nice!" Imarina growls. "He saved my life."

Suddenly the kitten is on the bed next to him, back pressed against his side and two paws holding one of his. "Now, lass, you've got to be respectful and mind your sister."

"But she's always mean to me!"

Skimble chuckles despite how much it hurts to do so. "You know, despite how much siblings annoy one another, the bond between us is strong."

Imarina tilts her head. "What about you and Jenna?"

He taps his chin. "Well... I don't know about Jenny's connection to me, but my bond with her is strong. The need to find out what'd happened to her kept me going for the past three years and I always felt like I should protect her, even the day she was born. You have no idea how happy your older sister was the day you were born."

Mystia blushes and looks away when his gaze lifts up to her. "Oh, shut up."

"One day you'll be a big sister, maybe," Skimble says, looking back to Imarina. "Then you'll know how good it feels being a big sibling."

Silhouette shakes her head. "Nice conversation. What've you come here for, Mystia?"

"Mum wanted me to get something for a stomach ache," she says.

"Oh, that's doable. I have it here," the Gumbie Cat says.

Skimble watches Mystia for a little while before he realizes that he's been watching her and he lowers his gaze to his the floor before he lifts himself to the sitting position and he scratches Imarina behind the ears. "You should go out and have fun with the other kits. They must miss you."

She hesitates. "But..."

"I'll still be here when you get back. I'm not going anywhere," he promises.

Finally she nods, hugging him and leaving him with his sleeping sister and his thoughts. He looks down at his paws. Though they've been washed of blood from his blood he still sees it and remembers his father's words. He's just like him, loving to brawl, loving the victory afterwards, more than almost anything. His paws are shaking and suddenly smaller paws cover his and he looks into the hazel eyes of Mystia and he feels horrible, like a monster.

"I heard what your father said... you're not a murderer. You proved that when you saved my little sister, which I'm grateful for, and that's not the act of a murderer... that's an act of a hero."

"I'm just a tom-kit. I'm no hero," he mutters.

Her face scrunches up, "Stop that. You saved us. Who knows what could've happened."

"You make me out to be important, but I'm not," Skimble insists. "I'm just an orphan tom-kit, an insignificant cat!"

She tightens her grip on his paws. "You're not just some insignificant cat. You're a hero that saved a lot of cats from getting hurt and you're a huge part of Jenny's life..."

His gaze is on his hands. "How do you know I won't turn into my da?"

Her paw lifts and brushes a hair from his eye. "Because you're Skimbleshanks, you're a cat that can never be ignored. So nothing will go wrong with you around because you'll be able to keep everyone safe."

He smiles. "Thank you," he whispers.

She smiles back. "You're welcome."

He clears his throat and straightens up, turning his face. "I hope your ma feels better."

"Thank you," she says, standing up when Silhouette comes into the room. "Are those it?'

"Yes. Get your mom to put these herbs in her tea once a day and see if it helps, if not, tell her to come here."

Jenny stirs after a while and she looks up at him with joy in them before that joy turns to curiosity. "Hey."

"Hey," the three cats say.

Skimble shifts. "You're wondering about da..."

"You told me we were orphans," she whispers. "Why?"

"You don't remember... We said we were orphans because he died in our hearts," Skimble says, looking away from everyone and feeling his heart squeeze. "You were too young to remember. Then again I did try with everything in my power to make us forget, but even if I couldn't you could..."

"What did he do?"

"He wasn't always like this," he says, ignoring the question before he shrugs. "Well, maybe he was, but... He was better."

"What did he do to make us leave?" Jenny demands with the slightest bit of Scottish lacing her accent now, showing those in the room how frustrated she is.

His eyes grow misty and he blinks the tears away. "He killed her..."

"Killed who?"

"Ma."

Jenny shakes her head. "No, it can't be true... you must've done something bad," she says.

Skimble stares at his little sister. "You think that if I'd done something I wouldn't own up to it? You think I'd drag you away from home to protect you and lie to him about yer death when 'e came 'ere ta kill us?!" he says angrily before he gets up and limps out of the den despite the protests.

Skimble hasn't felt this betrayed since he saw his da kill their ma. He limps straight into Deuteronomy and he apologizes and starts to go around when Deuteronomy gently grabs his shoulder to stop him from moving. Skimble internally groans, not wanting to go back into the den where he's supposed to be resting for a while. Deuteronomy seems to notice his disappointed look and tilts his head in confusion, but Skimble isn't in the mood.

"What's troubling you?"

The tom-kit hesitates before he sighs. "My sister thinks that I'm lying about da killing ma... that I did something wrong and he's trying to punish me," he answers.

Deuteronomy smiles. "It's not always gonna be like this," he says before he smiles. "I want you to meet my family."

"Um... okay."

Skimble follows the older tom and they enter a den. Upon entry he sees a pregnant black and brown tabby she-cat with a ginger tom-kit a few about the age of five. What he notices right away is the she-cat's swollen belly and he remembers when his mother was pregnant with Jenny.

"This must be Skimble," she says when she spots him. "I'm Grizabella and this is Macavity. You're a brave young tom."

"It was nothing," said young tom says shyly.

"But what you did was amazing!" the tom-kit named Macavity insists.

She puts her paws on her hips and scowls at him. "If that's nothing than I want to see what something is. Are you hungry?"

"N-" his stomach growls. "I-I could eat."

The older cats laugh and Alabaster comes in for a little. Skimble's surprised to see him as a rat's placed in front of him. He devours it and thanks them sleepily before his eyelids droop and he curls on their couch, muscles not wanting to move to get him up and out to where he's supposed to be resting. He feels someone scratching him behind the ear and he purrs, moving into the touch and he opens his eyes slightly and sees Alabaster and he closes his eyes again and drifts off.

* * *

Skimble wakes up and stretches, finding himself covered with a blanket. He blinks and looks around to see he's still in Deuteronomy's den. He rubs his eyes and wonders why he didn't leave, but remembers how tired and full he was. Instead of sitting around doing nothing he makes breakfast for the hosts of the house. When the mates walk out they blink at the food being set on the table and Skimble feels his chest swell with pride at their reactions.

"Where did you learn to cook?"

"Partially ma, but after that," Skimble trails off, thinking of Barron forcing him to learn how to cook, but then enjoying it anyway. "Well, it calms me."

Grizabella looks ready to question it, but she holds her tongue and smiles. "It smells delicious."

Skimble grins proudly. "You think?"

"Of course," Deuteronomy says, patting Skimble's head.

Skimble can't help but feel glad about that and he eyes Grizabella's belly, wondering if the kit(s) are kicking yet. "Um... Miss-"

"Just call me Grizabella," she says kindly.

"Grizabella," he says slowly, tasting it on his tongue before he continues slowly, "Are the kits kicking yet?"

She smiles. "Yes. Would you like to feel?"

He glances at her mate and he nods encouragingly and then nods himself. "Yes, ma'am."

"Oh, don't call me ma'am, it makes me feel old," she sighs.

"I'll try," the tom-kit says before moving forward and placing his paw on the belly of the older cat and he immediately feels a kick and this causes him to smile. "That was a strong kick."

"Yes, he has a habit of kicking my bladder," she lightly scolds her unborn kit.

Deuteronomy finishes his breakfast and kisses Grizabella. "I'll be on patrol."

"Can I come with you?" Skimble asks.

The tom taps his chin. "I don't know. Silhouette might get mad at me for taking you."

Skimble perks. "But I promise not to fight unless it's absolutely necessary. It's not like I can get injured walking."

With a sigh Deuteronomy nods. "Alright, you can come."

Skimble perks up and walks with Deuteronomy on patrol and he hears whispers about the Jellicle Ball, whatever that is. When they near the entrance Skimble spots a familiar figure in a waistcoat and he wants to run forward and hug the cat, but then he thinks that he doesn't know Skimble _didn't _abandon Jenny so he stays back. Ruthenbalt stops and sees Skimble with eyes that are at first happy, but them immediately angry.

"Why'd you abandon Jenny?" he demands.

"He didn't abandon her, he was taken," Deuteronomy says. "A cat named Barron took him."

"Barron... the one that sells slaves?" Ruthenbalt asks and when Skimble slowly nods he moves forward and wraps his arms around Skimble. "I'm so sorry."

The orange tabby fights the urge to cry in relief and hugs the older tom back. "I missed you and Jen..."

"We missed you too," the black and white cat says.

After their little reunion Skimble decides that he should see Jenny. He shouldn't have gotten so mad at her, but he's gotten really sensitive about the subject. He goes back to Silhouette's den and upon entry a smaller body nearly tackles him. He feels tears on his chest and he looks down to see Jenny's crying.

"What's the matter?" he asks.

"I thought you ran away because of what I said."

"Never," Skimble promises. "I just stayed at Deuteronomy's and met Grizabella."

She sniffles and wipes her tears away. "Okay. I was just scared."

He smiles. "I'm never leaving you completely alone. Home's where the heart is, and since the day you were born you've had a part of my heart," he says with a smile.

She grins. "Really?"

With a roll of his eyes he says, "Of course. Now, there's someone here I think you might wanna see."

She tilts her head and when she sees Ruthenbalt she smiles and runs over to him. "Auntie Ruth!"

"I really wish you'd stop calling me that," groans the railway cat. "You make me out to be a she-cat."

"Do you think I can call him that?" Skimble asks Silhouette who walks into the room.

"No," she says bluntly.

Skimble shrugs and smiles at this. He feels... complete.

"Can I dance in the Jellicle Ball next month?" Jenny asks.

"What? No, you have to be at least eight to even think about participating," Ruthenbalt says.

"Um... What's the Jellicle Ball?" the outsider asks.

Silhouette sighs. "Despite your Jellicle name you know nothing of it... Well, the Jellicle Ball is where we Jellicles, living here and out in the city, get together and dance and at the end of the night Alabaster sends one cat to the Heaviside Layer to be reborn."

Skimble blinks and remembers an old song his mother used to sing. "_Jellicle cats meet once a year, at the Jellicle Ball where we all rejoice. And the Jellicle leader will soon appear and make what is known as the Jellicle Choice. When Ol' Alabaster, just before dawn, through a silence you feel you can cut with a knife, announces the cat that can now be reborn and come back to a different Jellicle life. For waiting up there is the Heaviside Layer, full of wonders one Jellicle only will see. And Jellicles ask because Jellicles dare. Who will it be?_"_  
_

"How do you know what Deuteronomy sings?" Silhouette asks.

"Ma used to sing it when she had nothing to do," he says. "'_Jellicle cats some out tonight, Jellicle cats come out, come one, come all, the Jellicle Moon is shining bright, Jellicles come out to the Jellicle Ball, Jellicle cats come out tonight, Jellicles come out to the Jellicle Ball!'_ was another one she sang. She sang a lot."

"What was your mother's name?"

"Persephone," says the eldest kitten of said cat.

"Young Persephone," Silhouette mutters. "She was supposed to be the next Gumbie, but she high-tailed it with some tom. Though I suppose we should be happy she did. We've gained the next Gumbie and Protector."

Skimble blinks. "What?"

"Deuteronomy's taken a liking to you. You fight well and you're obviously who he's gonna chose to take his place when he takes Alabaster's place."

Skimble shakes his head. "I don't want to be the Protector. I shouldn't be it anyway, I end up like da."

"You'll never end up like da," Jenny assures.

"If given that type of position I will be," he grumbles, shifting. "You said that you have to be at least eight to dance at the Jellicle Ball... can I go and watch?"

"You'd have to ask Alabaster. He's usually at the tire or the old TSE1 car," Ruthenbalt says.

Skimble moves to get up, but Silhouette grabs his scruff and lifts him up so he's now limp out of instinct. "Why? It'll take a second."

"You've been running off doing this and that when you should be resting and healing," she says. "I was lenient yesterday, but today I'm putting my foot down. Or do I have to tie your foot to the table?"

He shakes his head furiously. "No, ma'am," he says with a nearly shaking voice. "I'll behave."

She seems to understand that she's struck fear in his heart by poking at an old wound and sets him down gently and smiles for the first time since he's seen her. "So take a nap and then you can ask Alabaster about observing the ball."

He yawns and nods, laying down and closing his glass-green eyes for a moment before Jenny cuddles with him like in the old days. They drift to sleep with smiles on their faces.

* * *

HAT: This might be the last update for the next... week? I'll make sure to post double for putting you through a wait! So, see ya! *jumps into black hole*

Skimbleshanks: *runs to black hole and looks inside before sighing* It's that black hole... HAT! What've we told you about jumping into strange black holes?!

HAT: To not to... but it's fun! OW! Get me out!

Skimbleshanks: Alonzo! Get the flamethrower, chainsaw, rope, baby rattle, plunger, hat rack, balloons, and bubbles!

Alonzo: She's in that one again?! *groans* I'm on it.

Skimbleshanks: Just be glad it's not the one that needs the pillow, snapping turtle, pacifier, roller skates, tweezers, and firefly.

Alonzo: *nods and scoffs* _That _one was a pain.

HAT: Get me out!

Skimbleshanks and Alonzo: We're on it! *turns to readers* Review while we get your author out...

Alonzo: *sticks head in the black hole* For the fifth time this month!

HAT: Oh, shut up.


	6. Questions & Friends

HAT: So! This one's a little more relaxed... your welcome.

_**Disclaimer: I own C- *Andrew Llyod Webber tackle!* C-crap... I own plot and OC... Cats is his... *passes out***_

* * *

Skimble wakes up and sees Jenny still asleep so he merely slips from the bed and sneaks out of the den and looks at the tire to see Alabaster bathing in the sunlight. He hesitates and then someone taps him on the shoulder. He turns to see a friendly face: Mystia.

"Hello," he says with a smile.

"Hey. What're you doing? I thought Silhou had you on lock down?"

"Oh, she said after a nap I could ask Alabaster if I could watch the Jellicle Ball this year."

She smiles. "That sounds great! Though... I think you have to ask to be part of the tribe otherwise it's direct intrusion."

He shrugs. "I guess, but I'm half-Jellicle anyway."

She blinks. "How?"

"My ma ran off with my da. Supposedly she was supposed to be the next Gumbie Cat."

Mystia's eyes widen. "Really? So your mum worked with medicine and all that?"

"I guess... I don't really know what Gumbie Cat's do."

"Usually take in orphaned kits and heal cat's wounds and teach how to knit and such. They're like a mother to all of the kits, really," she explains. "And come to think of it anyone they're older than. Jenny's her apprentice. Been that way for a few weeks. That's why she's in that den most of the time... well that and because of you."

"Hm... _Music, crocheting, and tatting,_" Skimble mutters under his breath. "Well, that's good."

Mystia seems amused. "You look like you're gonna die from nervousness."

He casts Alabaster a glance. "I'm just nervous about asking, like I'd be intruding or something..."

Her eyes roll as she grabs his paw and starts dragging him in the direction of the leader. "I swear you're as bad as Jenny about asking permission to do something!"

"H-h-hey!" Skimble stutters. "I don't need you to hold my paw!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. You'll thank me," she says and then stops in front of Alabaster. "Hello!"

"Hello. And why am I delighted with the presence of two strong young cats?" he asks, ears pricking and swiveling in their direction.

Mystia moves the shy tom-kit forward. "Skimble has a question."

Alabaster's smile is amused as he waves his hand to the young cat. "Go on."

"U-um... I was wondering if I... if I could w-w-watch the Jellicle Ball," he stutters, hating ever second of tension.

"Why so nervous? Of course you can," he says.

Skimbleshanks blinks in disbelief. "It's _that _easy?"

Alabaster chuckles. "Usually it isn't, but since you fought to protect the tribe, you've been accepted as a full member. That and the fact that our next Gumbie Cat is your sister."

A shocked laugh bubbles past the glass-green eyed tom-kit. "That's great... Thank you!"

"You may even take part in it," Alabaster says as he stretches.

"I-I-I-" he can't even explain how much he doesn't want to do that.

"He'd love that! Come on Skimble, I want you to meet some friends of mine," she says, dragging him again and causing Alabaster to chuckle in amusement.

"Not this again!" Skimble groans. "Can't I eat something first."

"I'm sure there'll be food later," Mystia says.

They weave their way to another part of the junkyard he's never been before and he sees a she-kit with light and dark brown stripes covering her white body with the top half of her face white and beside her is a mostly brown tom-kit a little older than Skimble with thin black stripes all over his body while the top half of his face is white. Skimble tilts his head at Mystia's friends and feels a little shy, but with another male there he feels like he should be braver.

"Hey Mystia..." the male says.

"Hey. This is Asparagus Jr. and Jellylorum. Guys, this is Skimbleshanks, Jenny's brother," Mystia says.

"Yeah, we saw you," Asparagus says, standing up and offering an appreciative smile. "Thanks for saving Imarina the other day."

Skimble shrugs. "It was nothing."

Mystia rolls her eyes. "You're stupidly humble," she groans.

"Do your eyes always glow when you fight?" Jellylorum asks.

The confusion on his face obviously said no. "What?"

"They glowed when you were angry and you managed to break the barrier and even brighter when you yelled at that tom with your eyes," Asparagus says.

"I don't know what you mean," he says, shaking his head in confusion.

"I think he has magic in his blood," Mystia says. "It's not strong, but it's still there."

After this they talk for a little more about this, that, and the third. At the end of the day he felt like he'd made two life long friends. Suddenly a cat that looks a lot like Asparagus walks into the junkyard with a pirate costume and the she-cats fawn over him. Skimble's confused at first and turns to Mystia for answers, but she's fawning over the cat too!

"Who's that?" Skimble asks Asparagus, the only one still near him.

"That's my dad. He's an actor and plays the roll of Growltiger, a pirate. My mom played Griddlebone for a while, but..." he trails off, looking to the side.

Skimble nods. "Okay. Why are they... drooling over him?"

"He plays Growltiger well and he's handsome to boot. He plays the Fiend of the Fell a lot, his best roll," Asparagus sighs. "There's always one heartthrob for the Jellicle Ball and it's always my dad. Until he loses his looks and a new one appears, it'll stay that way."

Skimble nods like he understands, but he doesn't know why there always has to be a heartthrob. "I've never been to a play," he admits.

Asparagus gapes at him. "Never? Not once?"

"Well, considering my kithood so far," Skimble shrugs before changing the subject. "Hey, is that Jenny?"

An overprotective urge surges through Skimble, but Asparagus grabs his arm. "Calm down. Dad doesn't respond to them and they lose interest eventually. He flirts with the older single she-cats. Like Kohona or Cafalle, the red one, or Devlessa, the gold and white one."

Skimble nods as Asparagus points to each she-cat. "Okay. That's good to know."

(AN: Just imagine them however you want since I'm too tired to do that)

"What's up with Kohana, though? She seemed to _hate _me," Skimble asks. "Still seems to hate me."

"She's really protective of Jenny and accepted her as a little sister. She doesn't like you because she thinks you abandoned Jenny and just want something," Asparagus says. "Just ignore her."

The orange tabby isn't too sure he should, but he lets it slide for the time being. "Okay..." he murmurs before he hears a gasp and looks up at Jellylorum who's staring at Skimble. Said cat looks down at himself and sees that the bandages have not a speck of white on them. They're crimson. "I need to get going."

"Why? Where do you need to g-" Asparagus stops when she sees the bandages and nods, supporting Skimble now. "Come on, let's get you to Silhouette."

Skimble nods and makes sure that Asparagus blocks him from Jenny, Mystia, and Imarina. "Thanks," the orange tom says.

"No problem."

They reach the Gumbie Cat's den and Silhouette immediately rushes to Skimble and checks his wounds. "It seems you've irritated them... You need to rest. Understand?"

Skimble nods. "Yes, ma'am."

"And I mean it, you aren't allowed to do anything besides slow walking and eating," she growls, causing Skimble to flinch and then sulk.

"Yes, ma'am."

"Swear you'll do this?"

He nods reluctantly. "I do..."

"Alright... now go interact. You'll need to get to know your clan mates."

"Yes, ma'am!' he says excitedly, nearly running, but he stops before he starts and walks with Asparagus out of the door almost gingerly.

* * *

HAT: Since I'm lazy... REVIEW!


	7. (Due) Dates

HAT: So! This one's a little more relaxed... your welcome.

_**Disclaimer: I do NOT own cats, only the plot of this story and the OCs.**_

* * *

Months Later:

Skimble walks with new found freedom. At last he's able to do things and he's fitted comfortably within the tribe (save for Kohana who causes him a lot of grief) and he can finally participate for the preparations for the Jellicle Ball. Turns out they need someone with magic in their blood to summon the cats out at the beginning of the ball and since Skimble shows the most magic in his blood, he's been given the responsibility. He can't go outside of the junkyard, sadly, no matter how much he begs to go with Ruthenbalt, but Silhouette refuses. He spends plenty of time with his sister, Macavity and Imarina (who seems to have grown attached to him), and when he's not with them he's with Mystia, Asparagus, and Jellylorum (who's close friends with Jenny) and if not any of them he goes with Deuteronomy, Alabaster, Silhouette, or Ruthenbalt when he's around. All in all, it's been fantastic for the Scottish tom-kit and he's finally gotten to a healthy weight.

Currently he's rehearsing with his sister, which is also custom (one of the only reasons she's dancing), but Alabaster shakes his head. "No, make it seem as if he's lifting you up with his magic, and Skimble, try to summon a little of your magic just in case."

Skimble nods and starts again. "_Jellicle cats come out tonight, Jellicle cats come one come all, the Jellicle Moon is shining bright! Jellicles come to the Jellicle Ball, Jellicle Cats come out tonight! Jellicles come to the the Jellicle Ball!_"

Something Skimble was furious to learn was that Jenny was allowed to chose her partner for the mating dance and he gets angry every time he thinks about it. Turns out she chose Thomas, the mostly white tom that shoved Skimble the first day and called him a Pollicle. Skimble didn't mind that Thomas hated him at first because he thought Skimble was a rotton tom that abandoned his sister, but the fact that Thomas is interested in his sister got to the orange tabby. Still, he needs to chose his partner for the mating dance and he _wants _to ask Mystia, but he doesn't know if she'll accept him. In all honesty he's afraid and the only one's he'll admit it to are Asparagus, Alabaster, Deuteronomy, and Silhouette.

"Better, better, but you have to time it just right... Again."

After a few more attempts Skimble and Jenny are released. Jenny immediately skips over to Thomas, Imarina, and Jellylorum while her older brother glares at Thomas and shakes his head disapprovingly. He can't stand the thought of his baby sister with a tom, even if the tom's about his age.

"Stop glaring, you're gonna get stuck with that face," a smooth voice says behind him.

"I know, but... I can't help it, Silhou," he admits.

"Just calm down and go ask Mystia if she'll be your partner," he says.

Skimble's face turns red under his fur. "Um... I don't think I'm quite ready for that yet..."

"Oh, come on! You're practically made for each other, Asparagus says, throwing his arm over his friend's shoulder before pointing to Mystia. "Now, I want you to go over there and ask her, 'Mystia... will you be my partner for the mating dance?' like a tom!"

Skimble rolls his eyes and shoves his best friend away from himself. "Oh, shut up! You have no right to talk. Have you asked Jelly yet?"

Asparagus frowns. "That's not fair. You know I'm a coward when it comes down to queens... especially her. I'm fine with just being her friend."

"Well if you don't act fast Kroar will get her," the Scottish tom-kit says, pointing to a mostly brown tom with white on his tail and chest that was talking to Jelly, who seems flattered.

Asparagus' ears prick and his eyes widen. "What?!"

"Go!" Skimble insists, shoving his friend in the direction of their queen friend.

"I'm going, I'm going," Asparagus snaps before walking up to Jellylorum.

Skimble smiles as they walk away and then he feels a paw between his shoulder blades push him. "Go talk to Mystia before she's taken," Silhouette says.

The tom nods and walks in the direction of Mystia when suddenly he's shoved by a certain black she-cat."Hey!"

"Oops, sorry... not really," the queen says.

"When are you gonna get that I never left Jenny on purpose?!"

"When I forget how much she was hurt over it for so long," she replies coldly.

He resists the urge to punch her and just walks around her and over to the queen friend who happens to be with Grizabella (who's due date is any second), his chest and stomach filling with butterflies as he forgets what _just _happened. "H-hello, Mystia."

She smiles kindly at him. "Hello Skimble. What is it?" she asks, a look of... excitement in her eyes.

"I was... I was- um- wondering if you'd like to..." he trails off, feeling expectant eyes on him. "Share a mouse with me."

Mystia seems to deflate, but she nods. "That sounds nice. I'll see you later Grizabella. Don't give birth without me," she says with a smile.

"Wouldn't dream of it," Grizabella replies as her mate comes into sight. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to speak with my mate."

Skimble and Mystia walk together to hunt a mouse and when they're way out of anyone's sight and hearing distance he clears his thought. "Um... Mystia... I was gonna ask you something else..."

They stop.

"Well... what?" the she-kit demands.

"Would you... bemypartnerforthematingdance!" he finishes quickly.

"What?" she blinks.

He breathes to calm himself and speaks slowly. "Would you be my partner for the mating dance?"

She smiles. "Of course I will!" she says, hugging him. "I was wondering when you'd ask me."

"Was I that obvious?" he asks, scratching the back of his head as blush covers his face under his fur.

"A little... well, not to me until others pointed it out."

Skimble doesn't know why his heart flutters when she's around or why he's more willing to be around her, yet reluctant, but he knows it's just how things are and that her accepting his request put his mind at ease for the first time in weeks. He feels... lighter. They hunt and eat before going back to rehearsals and when they can stop at last he gets his wounds checked by Silhouette and they're healing nicely. He's only glad that everything's going so well, but he knows that it's not gonna last for long... it never does...

Suddenly Grizabella's led in by Alabaster and Skimble moves to the side, left to finish wrapping his own wounds as he watches her breathe deeply. "What's wrong with her?"

"She's giving birth," Silhouette explains quickly. "Go get your sister!... No, there isn't time. Get me towels, and plenty of them... come on. Griz, spread your legs."

Skimble quickly runs to where the towels are (due to his staying in the Gumbie Cat's den, Deuteronomy and Grizabella's den, or (rarely) Coristo's den, he knows where everything's at) and grabs as much as he can carry before running back and handing them to the Gumbie, placing them where she tells him to and he notices Deuteronomy, Macavity, and Mystia are there where as Alabaster's missing, most likely going to fetch his little sister.

"Here comes the head!" Silhouette informs and Skimble glances only to faint.

Jenny runs in at that moment and sees that her brother's passed out and Grizabella's giving birth. When she sees Mystia taking care of her brother she immediately goes to Silhouette's side and does as ordered. She catches the baby and sees, after he's cleaned, he's mostly black with light brown on his chest, paws up to his forearms, and his legs, up to his mid-thigh and these are covered with black leopard spots. She holds the kit in amazement for a moment before she hands the kitten to his mother and Deuteronomy and Alabaster hang over Grizabella's shoulders to look at his (grand)son.

"What're you gonna name him?" Jenny asks.

"... Rum Tum Tugger," she whispers.

Skimble wakes up and sees the happy family crowded around the mother and kit and he stands on his tip toes in attempt to see, but he can't see the bundle of joy even when Deuteronomy's the one holding him. Suddenly he's picked up and he looks at Alabaster who has a kind smile on his face as he nods to his grandson. Skimble looks down at Rum Tum Tugger and smiles, having not seen a newborn kit since his sister was born almost seven years ago. He forgot how magical the moment seems, how content everything is after a birth when you look at the newborn.

"What's his name?" Skimble asks quietly.

"Rum Tum Tugger," Alabaster answers.

Skimble shares a look with Jenny and he can tell she now knows how it was like for him when she was born. Skimble's set down beside Grizabella and he reaches forward to move the blankets to see his entire face when Rum Tum Tugger cries, wailing for food.

"You can all hold him later," Grizabella promises, taking her son from her mate to feed.

_**-LINE-**_

Skimble play fights with Macavity and Imarina, easily winning, but he lets them believe they're doing a good job at wearing him out. Of course he knows he's built to fight and he feels unsure about that, but he continues to playfight, never quite up to doing anything beyond that even when it comes to training. When he's pinned them he hears someone stop in front of him and he looks up at the leader of the Jellicle tribe in wonder.

"Hi grandpa!" Macavity says brightly, squirming out of Skimble's grip and hugging his beloved grandfather.

"Hello," Alabaster chuckles. "Mind if I steal Skimble?"

Imarina hugs said tom-kit around the neck. "Can we keep him a bit longer? Please?"

Skimbleshanks chuckles and manages to get the she-kit off of him. "It'll just be a minute, and if it's not, I'll play with you both tomorrow. Okay?"

The kits sigh. "Okay..."

"Come on, son," Alabaster says, putting a hand on Skimble's shoulder as he leads him away from others. "Do you know what I'm about to talk to you about?"

The younger tom shakes his head. "No, sir... not really."

"I think that you will make a mighty fine Protector after I give my position to Deuteronomy."

Skimble falters and shakes his head. "W-what? No, I can't take that position. Sure, I was... I was made to fight, but I don't want to do something that will tempt me... My da's blood does run through my veins after all..."

"Just because his blood runs through your veins doesn't mean you're like him."

_He doesn't get it,_ the young tom thinks as his claws slide out without his knowing and he shakes his head. "I don't want to be Protector. Yes, I'll do what I can to protect the tribe, but the position shouldn't be mine. I.. I hate to admit it, but I love fighting too much. Even play fighting... That's as far as I'll go."

"But-"

"I'm sorry, but I can't... please don't force me," Skimble begs, shaking in fear as he makes his claws go sheath.

Alabaster sighs. "Fine... Well if you can't be the Protector... perhaps you can help Ruthenbalt. He'll need an apprentice and he hasn't had one and will need someone to replace him when his time comes."

"You think?" Skimbleshanks asks with ears pricked with interest. "I've always been interested and I wanted to travel with him, but Silhou wouldn't let me."

The older cat chuckles. "Of course she wouldn't, you were injured. Humans would likely take you away."

Skimble nods. "Yeah, I can understand... so when does that start?"

"After the Jellicle Ball."

* * *

HAT: ALRIGHT! Since I've got to go read a book for English, I'll post again in a little bit... maybe.

Tantomile: You've already got most of the story written, I don't see why you don't post the chapters.

HAT: *shrugs* Busy?

Tantomile: *rolls eyes* Just go read your book for English and pose in an hour or so.

HAT: Okay.


	8. Guess Who

HAT: You're going to hate me... there's no ifs, ands, or buts about it, you're going to **_hate_******because of this chapter... **_I_******hate me because of this chapter... just *sniffles* read. I'M SORRY I HAD TO DO THIS TO YOU SKIMBLE! *runs out*

_**Disclaimer: I do NOT own cats, only the plot of this story and the OCs.**_

* * *

The Jellicle Ball went off without a hitch and now Skimble's saying goodbye to everyone. Imarina and Macavity cling to his legs while Jenny clings to his torso. He doesn't want to leave them and feels more comfortable if he's there just in case Marcus or Barron come back, but he'll be back in a few days. He hugs them as tightly as he can, wanting to savor this moment for as long as he possibly can. There's nothing more that he wants than to take them with him, but he knows he can't so he memorizes their scents a engraves their faces in his heart.

"Alright, let go. If I don't leave now, I'll never be the next railway cat."

"But we don't want you to go," the three kits cry.

Skimble sighs. "It's only for a few days. I want you to be good, understand? If I hear that you've been bad, especially you Jenny, it'll not end pretty."

"Yes, Skimble," they grumble.

He smiles and hugs them all one last time. "Goodbye... see you in a few days."

With that said he gives final goodbyes and follows Ruthenbalt to the railway... this is where Skimble had wanted to be in the first place, the orange tabby remembers, and this is where he's meant to be along with the junkyard. He feels... complete... like he belongs as he words beside the railway cat. As he walks around to check on the passengers he feels like he's being watched and turns around, claws sliding out too easily and quickly for him to be comfortable about being offered the position of Protector.

_It's nothing, you're just... paranoid_, he thinks as he rushes to where Ruthenbalt is, the luggage van. "Hey Ruth!"

Ruthenbalt rolls his eyes and turns around. "It may be a man's name, but I don't like it when you or your sister call me that."

Skimble smiles and laughs sheepishly. "Yeah, well..."

"Something the matter? You look a bit shaken."

The Scottish tom-kit smiles. "It's nothing. I'm just wondering where we sleep."

"In here. I made you a bed over there," he says, gesturing to a perch that was luggage free with a little bed in it. "Get to bed, you look exhausted."

"Yeah. Goodnight Ruthen," Skimble says, getting in bed and falling asleep...

It doesn't last long because he hears something after about an hour and he opens his eyes and looks around, but there's nothing that he can see. Suddenly there's a shadow in front of him and before he can yell out something covers his head and he feels a sharp pain in the back of his head and he loses consciousness.

_**-LINE-**_

Skimbleshanks slowly opens his eyes and sees dungeon floor and when he moves he feels chains on him. His head snaps up to the door and he wonders if everything was a dream, a crazily amazing dream that he'd give anything to live. He looks at his chest and arm and moves the fur to see scars from fights he dreamed about. He wonders when he got these when suddenly he remembers being on the train for training and then being knocked out after his head was put in a bag by a shadow.

_Barron!_ Skimble thinks as he growls and then he hears a soft whimper and looks at the source and sees something that makes his heart drop... "Jen!"

"Skimble!" she calls when she sees he's awake.

He moves forward and hugs his little sister. "How did this happen?"

"Barron came back when you were gone and caught me, Mystia, Imarina, and Kohana."

His heart sinks. "Do you remember where they are?"

She shakes her head. "Only Kohana because I was the second one put in a cell... you came in a day after us. She's in the east end."

He curses under his breath and shakes his head. "I'll get us out of here, I swear."

He wonders what's happening to the others when suddenly he hears Imarina screaming, but not with joy like usual, but it was filled with pain and fear. Then Mystia's crying raises when Imarina's dies. He winces and hugs Jenny closer, knowing at least he can protect her as best as he can. He hears pawsteps coming in their direction and he pushes his sister behind him and lets his claws slide out, this time not caring about how like his father it makes him if he can keep Jenny safe. Then the door opens to reveal Marcus and Barron.

"Well, well, well... Skimbleshanks, you _liar_... I thought Jenny was dead... or is this her ghost that I've captured and you're trying to protect?" Macus says as he comes down the steps. Skimble bares his teeth and hisses and growls, ears flat and tail lashing wildly. "Step aside. I want to talk to your sister."

"Fuck off!" Skimble hisses, not really caring about cussing in front of a seven year old right now.

"Oh... maybe we can save her for later," Barron says. "I've been wanting to get back at Skimble for this."

The, perhaps, future railway cat feels pride well in him at the scar over Barron's eye. Suddenly he grabbed roughly by the shoulder by Marcus and his defiant glass-green eyes meet cold, heartless glass-green eyes and the orange cat doesn't stop fighting to get out of his grip, but doesn't break the gaze.

"You could save them... your friends, if you killed two cats..."

Skimble stills and blinks. Two lives for his friends... for multiple cats, more than two? He contemplates this and then slowly nods before he's put down. He can end live with that. Even if he, himself isn't free, he can do it for others, even Kohana who he doesn't particularly like. He couldn't kill her, not unless something drastic happened and she was in too much pain anyway and that was the only source of relief... but he doesn't think he can do it even to someone he doesn't like at all. However someone he doesn't know... that's a little more doable.

Barron comes back with someone small, someone... with mostly black kit with brown on his chest, legs, and arms with leopard spots and a ginger kit with blazing yellow eyes.

"Macavity! Tugger!" Skimble yells as the kits' are put in front of him and he hugs them to his chest. "You monsters! You want me to kill a kit!"

"They haven't lived long, it should be easy," Marcus says with a devious smile. "Their lives, for the lives of the others."

Tugger meows pitifully and Skimble snarls at the two malicious cats. "I won't kill them!"

"Then give them back," Barron snarls, moving forward to take the kits.

Skimble backs away, raking his claws along Barron's arm and then hands Macavity and Tugger to Jenny and gets in a defensive crouch. "You'll have to kill me to get to them!"

Marcus chuckles. "That can definitely be arranged."

Barron moves to attack, but Marcus holds him back and they walk out. Skimble rushes back to his sister and the tom-kits and looks for wounds. "Are they alright?"

Jenny nods. "Yes, but hTugger needs some food. He shouldn't be far from Grizabella."

"That pollicle!" Skimble growls before he notices the window. "Listen. I need you to run and get to the junkyard, take them back to the junkyard and don't come back, just tell them where we are and bring them... understand?"

She nods. "How're you going to get me out?"

He unlocks her chains with his claws and as he does this he speaks, noticing Macavity seems to be in a far off place in his mind. "I'm gonna have you squeeze out of that window and you make your way to the train station, perhaps, unless you know where you are, then go to the yard, but if not wait for Ruthenbalt and have him get you to the yard..."

Again she nods and he gets her out and he watches her run, praying that they'll make it. He goes back and curls, acting like he's asleep for hours when the door opens again. He stays asleep and he hears a frustrated growl and then suddenly he feels a kick in his side and Skimble _wakes up _with a shout and glares up at his father.

"Get up!"

Skimble's glass-green eyes flash to where Jenny was and then he lets loose his rage and stands, grabbing the front of his father's fur. "What've you done to Jenny?! Where is she?! If you hurt her I _swear _to the Everlasting Cat I'll-"

"Calm down... it seems she escaped while you were asleep." Skimble makes himself relax. "But when we get a hold of her... she'll be sorely punished along with those kits."

"No!" Skimble yells before he's smacked away with the back of his father's paw.

"I suppose, it's finally time for you to be tortured," Marcus says before slamming his son into the wall and running his claws down his back, leaving deep wounds before the wounds on his chest are reopened by his father's sharp claws. Then the dark brown tom grabs the brown tailed one by the head fur and drags him up the stairs and out of the door, breaking the chains on Skimble's legs and arms as he went and causing his joints to feel dislocated. All along the way Skimble cries out and sobs, his body filled with pain and his blood painting the path he was taken on. "You should've just accepted your destiny."

"Skimble!" he hears Mystia cry out just barely as he keeps yelling and he makes his cries louder so that way Marcus won't hear them and he won't go after the calico queen.

"Shut up!" Marcus roars, as they stop at a pool, obviously not their destination, but Skimble keeps yelling out his pain. "I said _shut up_!"

Marcus shoves Skimble's head underwater and then he lets out an unwilling cry when he feels his left leg break under his father's paw. He knows he's going to breath in the water because he let out too much air and when he's allowed to resurface he's coughing and greedily sucking up the air before his head's put back under and the same leg's broken in a different place and moved painfully before his left shoulder is dislocated, forcing him to let out all of the air in his lungs and breath in a lungful of water before he's pulled out and allowed to breathe and he pukes up the water that he breathed in.

"You will do as you're told," Maruc growls. "Understand?!"

Skimble nods weakly, not having the strength to fight back like he wants to. Marcus goes back to dragging him by his head fur and Skimble whimpers, his leg and body in pain, but he could just manage to buy Jenny time to get to the junkyard for help, it'll all be worth it. They enter a room and Skimble's thrown forward and he looks up to see Mystia and Imarina.

"Skimble!" they cry and move forward to hug him and when they reach the light he sees that Imarina's bloody and bruised and Mystia's in the same condition except her shoulder's dislocated.

"Mystia, Imarina," he sighs, hugging them and not caring how much pain he's in. "You're alive..."

"Not for long," a voice says and Skimble glares at Barron.

"Stay away from them!"

Marcus grabs his son. "Ah, ah, ah. You're supposed to do as told."

The father holds his son down to watch the queens get tortured and Skimble tries to escape to help, but it's impossible with the weight of a full grown cat on his back and in his weakened state so he watches through tears as Imarina's arm is broken and Mystia's arm is jerked in and out of the socket and then broken. Suddenly Marcus drags Skimble go into a room and there's a table with straps and the broken eleven year old is placed on the table and strapped on and suddenly he feels pain in his entire body as he shakes from electricity.

"You could've saved them! But now you've doomed them all!" Marcus laughs maniacally. "And you'll have to die with that guilt, _son._"

"_I_**_ hate _**_you!_" Skimble shouts back to his father, his entire being meaning it before he blacks out.

* * *

Skimbleshanks: *gapes* What... the... HAT! You've got some 'splainin' to do! *walks out*

Lyon: ... That's worse than being thrown in a cage than a peke in heat... So... Review!


	9. New Friend, New Type of Love

HAT: Don't worry, he lives! He's injured, granted, but he lives!

_**Disclaimer: I do NOT own cats, only the plot of this story and the OCs.**_

* * *

He hears other around him, but he doesn't comprehend it well as he goes in and out of consciousness. In all actuality he wants nothing more than to die because each time he regains consciousness there's so much pain and it's unbearable so much so that he screams, especially when his dislocated arm's put back into the back. Each time he wakes up he cries, no matter how much it hurts his pride.

_"Skimble..."_

_He opens his eyes and looks at a pale orange she-cat with leopard spots with chocolate colored eyes in the distance in a large, wide field that seems to shine too brightly, but it doesn't matter, and suddenly his own are filled with tears of joy. "Ma!" he cries as he runs forward and hugs her. "I missed you so much ma."_

_"I know... but you have to go back," she says, wipe away his ears._

_"But... it hurts," he whimpers._

_She shushes him and hugs him close. "Yes, I know, but you have to... there's too much that you have to do before you join me."_

_"Ma... I want to stay with you."_

_"I know, I know, but you can't stay. You have to go back and accept your responsibilities... and when you don't have too many responsibilities... I assure you, it will all be fine."_

_"Promise?" he asks, unsure like a tiny kitten again._

_"I promise and when it's your time, you'll be happy," she promises._

_He hugs her hard. "I love you, ma."_

_"I love you too, and tell Jenny and Marcus I love them as well."_

_Skimble looks up at her in confusion. "Why da?"_

_"You'll know when the time comes," she says, kissing his forehead and then everything disappears._

He opens his eyes and sees a light ad he knows he's in Silhouette's den. He looks to the side and sees Jenny, Mystia, and Imarina all asleep. He relaxes and then remembers Kohana. He knows she's been tortured and he looks around and can't see her. He looks at the light and prays to the Everlasting Cat and his mother that everything will go well as he rises and feels his entire body rack with pain. He holds in a grunt and limps out of the junkyard, doing a surprising job at keeping from the detection of the others. When he reaches the warehouse he stops and wonders if this time he'll escape. He shakes all doubt from his mind and moves forward, sneaking in and trying to find Kohana and when he finds her cell he picks the lock and enters.

"Skimble?" she asks. "What're you doing here?"

"I'm getting you out of here," he whispers, picking the locks of the chains and noticing her wounds and he supports her with one arm around his waist and her arm over his shoulder since she's larger than him because he's still a kit and she's grown. "I'm guessing they couldn't find you... don't worry, you'll get home safe."

She nods silently and he manages to get as far as the exit when the door closes suddenly and Skimble freezes, tightening his grip around Kohana's waist and on her wrist.

"I knew you'd come back for her... you don't abandon others," Marcus purrs darkly as he saunters forward.

"Stay back!" Skimble hisses, though he's using all his strength to keep himself and Kohana up.

"I don't think I will..."

Skimble backs away when suddenly he remembers what his mother said. "Ma said she loves you..."

Marcus stops, his eyes full of pain, love, regret, and tears and he clutches his head and sobs, sinking to his knees. "Persephone," he moans.

Skimble takes this opportunity to escape and he half-runs with Kohana and stops about a block from the junkyard as the sun's rising and he pants, setting her gently down. She pants from her half-running as well and leans against the wall of the building, tears in her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Skimble... It's just that... I kept thinking about Jenny and how hurt she was and that you were to blame and-"

"It's okay," he says gently. "I don't blame you for that. I'd blame me for it too."

She hugs herself and buries her face in her knees. "I think I'm pregnant..."

He blinks. "W-what."

She looks up at him. "I'm pregnant."

He hugs her. "I'm sorry."

"I tried to fight," she sobs.

After comforting her he supports the queen and goes the rest of the way to the junkyard and he manages to set her down gently before he collapses from exhaustion once again and he hears Kohana panicking and trying to wake him up and calling for help. Then he feels someone pick him up and by the scent it's Deuteronomy. He's in and out of consciousness and when he resurfaces for the final time he's hugged by every cat he knows. He's laid back down as he tries to hug them and he grins.

"Hey," he says.

"_Hey_?! You nearly die and you say _hey_?!" Mystia demands, tears in her eyes.

He sits up and swings his legs over the table. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry I hurt all of you and caused you worry, but for years I haven't cared whether I live or die, it's just been me against the world... And when someone I care about, even remotely, is in danger I'll throw my life in front for them to live."

"That's not fair... you shouldn't have to be grown up when you're a kit," Jenny mutters.

Skimble smirks. "Then I guess I'll have to be a kit when I'm a grown up."

They chuckle about that and Asparagus puts a hand on his friend's shoulder. "I'm glad you're alive, buddy."

Skimble nods. "Yeah, me too. Otherwise you'd never have a chance with Jellylorum."

Said she-kit blushes and looks to the side as everyone laughs. Grizabella, and Deuteronomy thank him for saving Macavity and Tugger and he shrugs it off, noticing Macavity's really quiet and he feels sorry for the ginger kit, not knowing what's wrong with him, but knowing it's going to effect him in the long run. He spends time with his friends and then soon it's only him, Mystia, and a half asleep Jenny. He tells his sister what their mom says and she smiles before she falls asleep and he tucks her into her bed.

"Skimble..."

He turns around and looks at Mystia. "Yes?"

She grabs his paw with her own. "I never got to thank you for... everything. You could've died and... and I wouldn't get to tell you that..."

"What?" he asks, seeing her blush and tear up a little.

"That I love you," she says, meeting his eyes.

"I..." he realizes the truth and caresses her face. "I love you too."

He moves forward and presses his lips gently against hers and she kisses back. Out of all the crap in his life, some good things did come out of it... and a lot of love is exactly what that is.

* * *

HAT: Awwww! They're so cute together.

Skimbleshanks: And so are-

HAT: And review!


	10. He's Back

HAT: Don't worry, he lives! He's injured, granted, but he lives!

_**Disclaimer: I do NOT own cats, only the plot of this story and the OCs.**_

* * *

-A FEW YEARS LATER-

Skimble plays with Tugger, Munkustrap (Grizabella's last kit before she left, which cut a knife in everyone's hearts, especially after she was so motherly to Skimble), Cassandra, and Exotica at around noon. For years everything's been pretty calm. Alabaster retired and handed the position to his son, who's now the Jellicle leader, and a few Jellicles moved away with their humans, but that wasn't uncommon. Kohana had Cassandra and Skimble got along with her quite well until her death after Exotica was born. Still, the two queen-kits were growing up to be great queens. They recently gained mystic kits by the names of Tantomile and Coricopat (they keep to themselves because they're still pretty shy around everyone) about Cassandra and Exotica's age. He and Mystia are going strong even with him spending a lot of time wit Ruthenbalt to become the next railway cat and Jenny is getting along (almost too) well with Thomas, and everything seems to be going perfect... except Macavity sneaks out a lot and Skimble feels bad about it because his father and Barron got a hold of him... but he can't do anything about it.

"Skimble! Come on, dad's gonna show us something!" Asparagus calls, holding his queenfriend, Jellylorum's paw.

"Come on, don't leave," Munkustrap begs.

Skimble chuckles. "I'll see you two later."

"Fine," Tugger huffs only to get flicked for his attitude.

Skimble walks towards his friends and queenfriend. "Alright, let's go."

"About time!" Gus chuckles. "Now follow me."

Skimble rushes over to them and Mystia greets him with a nuzzle and they weave their way through the junkyard and when Gus quiets them the teenage kits share looks of curiosity at what the Theater Cat was planning. In all honesty they've never been in this part of the junkyard, only run through it once or twice, but never stopping to observe their surroundings, but there's a strong smell of rabbit in the air and when they look to the older cat he smiles and winks at them.

"This is my little rabbit hunting area. So long as we hunt here on occasion, they'll keep coming back."

They take this to heart and nod before focusing on the rabbits ahead. They managed to catch three, one for each couple and one for the grown tom himself. Once they were finished Skimble smirks and manages to make a puddle of water for them to drink out of and they lap up the water. Skimble's been working on his magic and he's getting to be pretty good, even helping Macavity learn how to keep his powers from hurting others whenever Coricopat and Tantomile couldn't (though younger, still having more experience than both of the older toms) and Skimble's more than willing to use them for the benefit of himself and others, like now.

"Thanks for the water," they say.

"No problem," he responds. "I don't mind."

Skimble, after a while, finds himself alone and he thinks... but he thinks about something he _hates _thinking about... his da. He can't help but wonder if there were shreds of his old father in there. As he had told Jenny long ago, their father was better, was a great dad until the day he killed their mother. The reaction to ma's message made his father come back for a minute before his eyes and the pain... the pain was something that couldn't be faked. Even after all that Marcus has done: kill their mother, wound him, torture, nearly kill him, Skimbleshanks can't help but still love his father. He knows it's wrong to love the one that's caused you the most pain, but he can't help it. Love has no bounds and doesn't let up no matter how much someone tries to snuff it out, no matter how covered up it is by other emotions. It's still _there_ and it can't be removed once one loves another in because it was forged to be unbreakable, there for eternity no matter what, even if someone thinks they hate someone they used to love and Everlasting knows how much Skimble thought he hated Marcus. It was a lie. He hates the things Marcus did that's what he hated, what he'd become that he hated, never his father.

_Why did you do all of this?_ Skimble silently demands his father, wherever he may be.

Suddenly there's a scream, so loud and heartbroken that Skimble rushes forward and sees Coristo with his throat having been ripped open and his eyes never seeing again as his sister hugs him and sobs. Marcus' scent is all of the the place and he sees a note written in Coristo's blood, something so sick that it makes Skimble's stomach turn despite all of the horrific he's seen in his short life (as well as childbirth, he still shivers at the memory of Tugger's birth).

_It seems you've forgotten who your father is. This is your reminder._

Skimble's fur bristles and his eyes glow with his anger. He can handle attacks on himself, but on others, especially to hurt Jenny, was unacceptable. Suddenly he feels a calming paw grab his own and looks down at Coricopat and Tantomile, who each seem to be a little worried so he reigns in his anger enough that his magic doesn't dance on his fur or in his eyes. He squeezes Coricopat's hand back and then releases it as he moves forward to comfort his grieving sister.

"I hate him..." she mutters.

_I can't say the same_, Skimble thinks but keeps holding her. "Come on... let's take you to Silou."

Silhouette, his other mother (aside from Grizabella), and Jenny's mentor. He knows she must have some calming herbs for his little sister so he enters the snow leopard looking she-cat's den and she immediately comes over and takes the siblings in her arms.

"I heard what happened and I'm so sorry," she mutters, glaring at Skimble and mouthing, _Don't do anything rash. Wait._

Jenny simply whimpers and Silhouette gives her poppy sees, something for numbing all types of pain (physical and emotional and mental) and soon Jenny's asleep leaning against the Gumbie Cat who gestures for Skimble to move forward.

"Yes, ma'am?"

"I know you want to rush over there and hurt him for hurting her, but you can't... no matter how much we all want to, we can't risk it. Not so soon, we need to wait until his guard's down because he expects us, especially you, immediately to strike back."

"I know, but it's just that... he seems to get sicker and eviler," Skimble mumbles. "But..."

"You still remember him from before," she murmurs, rubbing his ears. "And you still see that bit of good in him, but it's fading."

He blinks at her. "Yeah... how'd you know?"

She shrugs. "Intuition," she answers before she kisses his forehead. "A kit shouldn't have to be an adult... but I think I'll allow you to be a kit while you're grown. After all, your kittenhood was cut short while Jenny's kept going."

Skimble nods, looking at his sister. Despite how much pain she's gone through, she still behaves as a kitten while he's had to grow up for her so she wouldn't have to. He allows himself this brief kittenlike behavior as he lets Silhouette hold him like a mother would hold her kitten, and he curls in her lap and the top of his head is under her chin as she sings to him. The song makes his muscles relax and his mind numb so he can sleep at last...

* * *

HAT: Come on, Marcus had to come back, he's not dead and he's not through.

Silhouette: You've a sick and twisted mind.

HAT: Trust me, I've seen worse... besides, why do you think I've written so many light, funny one-shots? It shows not only am I dark and depressing, but also fun and light. I can't be that author someone reads when they're sad/angry or something.

Silhouette: True... but why'd I ha-

HAT: NO! We can discuss this later... when did you look at the story?

Silhouette: When Alabaster did.

HAT: *sigh* Please say it.

Silhouette: Review, please.


	11. Dark Magic

HAT: You get brief relief... and then in the middle it gets bad. *sniffles* I... just... I'll miss... Just read! *sulks*

_**Disclaimer: I do NOT own cats, only the plot of this story and the OCs.**_

* * *

Pain...

_Don't be discouraged, my beloved son... you will understand your purpose and your blood much sooner than you think._

Skimble sits up in bed, his head pounding and when he uses his magic to try and heal it the pain intensifies. He stops and just clutches his head, glad no one's conscious to see him in this state. He hears his mother's quiet whisper in his ear and he turns the words over in his mind, but it doesn't help at all. He shakes and feels his blood run cold, wondering if she's talking about his father's blood that runs through his veins. Whatever she means, he's too exhausted to think about it, to understand it.

_Why me? Why do I have to go through all of this? I just want to be a normal tom-kit,_ he thinks with tears in his eyes. He hates himself, he hates others, and he even hates Jenny, something he couldn't think possible. He can't help but somehow he feels hate and jealousy. No one else had to go through their father killing their mother and remembering everything in crystal clear detail, losing their sister and then being forced to be a slave, or tortured to save a friend... He hates that he's the only one that suffered so much at such a young age. When the rage subsides at last he wonders why he was so angry. He couldn't wish this fate on anyone else because he can barely handle it and he knows that other will not be able to handle it at all.

He decides that he can't fall asleep and when he walks outside he realizes he's being eyed by many she-kits. His eyebrows come together and he shakes his head before he splays out on the TSE 1 trunk, his fur being warmed slightly in the early morning sun. Suddenly Tantomile (who _does _once in a while get away from her brother and he away from her) and her friend, a sandy brown she-kit he believes is named Gertha, stands in front of him blushing furiously and his eyebrows come together in confusion and worry.

"Um... hello," he says, making them blush deeper and he slips off the tire and puts his paw on Tantomile's forehead to check her temperature. "Are you two getting sick? If so would you like me to take you to Silhou?"

"N-no," they say nervously.

Skimble tilts his head. "What is it that you need?"

Suddenly Tantomile kisses his cheek and the two run off giggling and he's standing there utterly confused.

"Looks like I've got some competition," Mystia says with an amused smile as she takes his paw.

"B-but... what just happened?" he begs his queenfriend.

"You have a few fan-queens. They have crushes on you."

He scratches the back of his head, blush covering his face. "I don't think that I'm quiet worthy of having that kind of attention. I don't know how I managed to get you."

She smiles and gently kisses him. "You're _more _than worthy... but that's what I love about you. You're so worthy, yet you're humble... I love that about you."

He nuzzles her and purrs, squeezing her paw before Imarina jumps merrily onto the two older cats. They play with her for a little while before they end up splaying out on the tire and grooming one another. Then they take a nap before he takes her home and goes to decides he's had a good day for once... but that good day's shattered when Mystia comes running to him in tears. She merely sobs as she throws her arms around his neck and he holds her, glass-green eyes filled with worry.

"Myst... Myst what's the matter?" he asks.

"I-Imar-ina!" she manages to gasp out.

His heart plummets. "What about Imarina? What happened?"

"She's gone!" she wails into his shoulder. "B-Barron took her. His scent was where she was last."

It takes everything in him not to slide his claws out as hate bubbles in his chest and it takes him a minute to calm down. "Shh, shh... We'll get her back, I promise."

Suddenly another wail and it's not from the queen in his arms. He looks up and sees Grizabella stuttering to tell Deuteronomy and Alabaster something with Tugger in her arms and the shock in their eyes when they _do _hear. Skimble looks around frantically for Macavity and he can't find him. He wonders how many kits are missing. He squeezes Mystia tighter and his glass-green eyes harden with determination. He comforts Mystia until she's asleep and carries her to her den and puts her to bed, untangling himself from her and tucking her in. When he walks back out he sees Deuteronomy frantically gathering warriors to go in search of his son, but Skimble knows where they're being held.

_It's always there,_ he thinks sullenly, his emotions void and his eyes the eyes that Barron always wanted: blank, void of light, the eyes of a slave. But that wasn't all, there was a hint of a look... bloodthirsty look in his eyes that his father always wanted. He turns and as he walks through the junkyard it seems to be moving to fast, like he's not in control anymore, like some force is pulling him to his destination. His eyes glow softly and his fur glitters with his magic alive. He has to rescue the kits even if it means he dies. He doesn't value his life one bit, he realizes in the back of his mind. So long as the others he cares about are safe, he doesn't care what happens to him. He'll do whatever it takes to keep them safe no matter what.

As he walks the front door of the place he'd been held for three years guards charge at him and he growls, grabbing the first one that reaches him and slams them into another body before he snaps another's neck and raises his leg behind them, kicking one of the cats charging him in the ribs and promptly breaking them. he gathers his magic and flames are hurled at one cat and he runs screaming as his pelt catches on fire. As he kills and injures his mind's blank, but he sees one trembling in front of him, the only one uninjured.

"P-please... I have a mate and kits," the guard begs.

Skimble blinks and his eyes go from glowing wildly to their regular glass-green color and he looks at the one in front of him and then stands up straight and looks around at the damage he has done... so many injured, so many dead... all because of him. How many, he wonders, had families waiting for them back home? How many were parents? How many lives did he ruin by killing these cats? He turns back to the one that begged for mercy and his breathing becomes labored and his head pounds and his eyes fill with tears as his paws grip his head and he falls to his knees and gives out a cry of frustration and sadness, mourning for everything lost: lives, happiness of others, and a part of himself.

_You're a monster!_ His mind screams at him. _Look at what you've done!_

He can't deny what's been done. Blood is on his paws, staining his very soul and he knows this will forever haunt him. As he rocks he mutters _I'm sorry,_ to everyone. He's sorry to those he killed and those he injured, to his family, to his friends, to the Everlasting Cat, to those that lost their family because of him. When he finally gets a hold of himself several minutes later he stands and the guard that begged for mercy is staring at him in fear and guilt stabs Skimble once again.

"Leave... take your injured and bury your dead and leave and _never _do something like this again," the tom-kit says numbly before he walks past the one that snapped him out of it and goes into the building.

His heart is heavy and mind is numb and he wonders when he started to lose himself. He's never been so ruthless, so... bloodthirsty. He listens to his heart beat in his chest, a little more than afraid as he opens the door to the main chamber and upon entrance his glass-green eyes fall on his father with Macavity in his lap as he reads a book, and Macavity's relaxed with glazed eyes that read along. He turns his gaze to Barron who has Imarina hugged to his chest and a claw at her throat, a silent threat for Skimble not to do anything.

"Son, come join us," Marcus says, lifting his eyes to meet his son's while Macavity keeps reading.

Skimble sits in front of his father and hears that he's reading in a different tongue. "What're you reading?"

Marcus' eyes brighten maliciously. "A spell... he'll be just like me soon enough."

The marmalade cat gets the urge to lung forward and halt the spell, but Imarina's life depends on him not doing anything rash. "W-what do you mean?"

"I mean that his magic will be purified by mine so he will be like me. He's halfway through."

"You're tainting his magic?" the young tom asks, his anger rising as well as his magic.

"Your magic's coming alone nicely as well," Marcus notes.

The son blinks and his magic stills as well as his anger because fear starts to grip him. "What do you mean by that?"

"I mean that the more you use your magic, the more you become like me."

Then realization hits him like cold water. That's why he killed so mercilessly. His magic was darkening every time he used it and now if he uses it he'll turn into his father: a cold-blooded killer. He starts to shake in fear and fears that he _will _become his father. He squeezes his eyes shut and shakes his head before realizing that that's what happened to his father. The dark magic got a hold and refused to let go, but the way his father reacted to his dead mate's message... maybe there's still a part of him left in there.

"Why do you want to do this?" Skimble demands.

Marcus shrugs casually. "Because I want to. Does there need to be another reason?"

SKimble licks his lips nervously, hoping that his plan will work. "Are you sure? Or do you want your family back? After you killed ma you must've looked for us, wanted to protect us right? You didn't realize who killed her until you looked at your paws."

Marcus' eyes turn dark and dangerous and Skimble walks forward, feeling more than a little empowered. "Shut up..."

"You're doing all of this so I can be your son again, and Jen your daughter. You want the old days back on the farm, but you're too hurt, upset, and angry about us not accepting you again and you'll do anything you can to get us back. Won't you?"

Marcus releases Macavity and clutches his head. "Shut up."

"You're trying to fight it! You want to keep us safe, you want to see us happy, but your dark magic's twisting your thoughts and making you think that you're helping us, that this is how we're going to be happy... but somewhere inside of you... you know it's wrong."

Skimble's right in his father's face and he's moaning. Before Barron has time to react Skimble snatches the book and hurls it at the slave owner/seller. Barron falls back with Imarina and Skimble runs forward, snatching her away and beating Barron into unconsciousness. Suddenly he realizes that Macavity's still saying the spell. Skimble runs back and takes Macavity's shoulders, shaking him to jar him, but it doesn't work."

"Come on, Mac, you can do it, you can snap out of it... Mac! Stop it, you're losing yourself. Don't leave us, please."

"M-Mac..." Imarina says weakly and Skimble sees that there's blood on her neck. He shakes his head in disbelief and cradles her. "Skimble... you're the best brother-in-law..."

He smiles through his tears. "Thanks and you're the best sister-in-law that I could ever have... Don't worry, we'll get you to Silhou and she'll fix you up. We're all gonna be okay."

"We're all gonna be okay," she nods, though by the wise look in her eyes, she knows she's going to die. "Now take me to Macavity."

He does as asked and she puts a hand on her best friend's shoulder.

"Listen, Mac... I'm... I'm gonna go away for a long time... so come back and say goodbye."

Suddenly Macavity jolts and his yellow eyes snap to his best friend. "Ima..."

"Hey Mac," she says with a smile. "I'm... I'm going away for a long time... can you be strong for me?"

"I-I think I can," he manages to choke out.

"You know... you're my best friend..."

"You're my best friend too," he says.

Skimble goes a little farther, watching the light leave her eyes. He's failed her. He couldn't protect her from the danger and now... now she's paying for it. Tears fill his eyes and when she goes limp he pounds his fisted paws on the ground and lets out a sorrowful and pain filled cry. Imarina's dead because Skimbleshanks couldn't save her. The orange tabby, seeing Macavity sobbing as he hugs his dead friend's body, backs away and goes to a secluded room to release built up frustration and rage. He's angry. Angry at his father, angry at Barron, and most of all angry with himself. He releases magic, discarding the fact that it'll make him lose a part of himself, he just needs to do this, let it all out.

_This is my fault, this is _my _fault!_ he thinks, knowing if he never came here, the cats here wouldn't be effected and Jenny would probably be safe and none of these cats would've died. He wipes the tears from his eyes and decides that the best course of action is to free prisoners and then go home. He does this and when he gets to the last few he realizes that his old cell is taken by two she-cats by the smell of it. He unlocks the door and opens it wide to see two she-kits cowering in the corner. One is red with a white tux and black spots on her pelt, the other is black and gold with a white tux that doesn't go down quite as low. Both are cowering and scared, staring at him with dark brown and blue eyes.

"It's alright, I'm not going to hurt you," the marmalade tom assures. "I'm setting you free... are there any other prisoners?"

The two hesitate, but the red one points to her left. "There's our friend in the other cell..."

He nods and quickly unlocks the door before peering inside and seeing a black and white splashed tom-kit that's unconscious. He rushes down and picks up the unconscious cat, checking for signs of life and he's glad to see he's alive before he walks up the stairs and sees the two she-kits talking in quiet hisses.

"I've got him... would you like to come live with a nice tribe?" he asks. When they're quiet for a long time he sighs. "Listen, I was just like you. Barron... he kitnapped me and I managed to get out and the tribe welcomed me with open arms. If you come with me I swear on my honor that you will be safe and your friend will get help."

The two exchange a look that seems to hold an entire conversation before the red queen-kit meets his gaze. "We'll come with you."

He nods before turning and walking away, his stomach dropping at the sight of Macavity and Imarina. "Mac... Mac, it's tome to go."

"We're... we're not going to leave her are we?" the ginger kit asks.

"No. Come on," Skimble says hollowly before tears close his throat.

Macavity carries Imarina and the group travels with one another towards the junkyard. To Skimble everything moves fast and slow at the same time because before he knows it, the junkyard's hovering over them. He breathes deeply and enters, his heart heavy and his eyes gaining fresh tears as they enter. He hands the unconscious tom-kit to the freed queen-kits.

"Take him to the she-cat that looks like a snow leopard, okay? She's safe, she helped me a lot," he says with a tear thick voice.

They nod and walk away. Gently Skimble takes Imarina's body from Macavity and rubs his little friend's ear comfortingly before he goes to the den where Imarina's family lies. He enters and at first mother and sister are overjoyed until they see the state of the calico kit.

"Ima... Imarina," Mystia gasps.

Skimble relinquishes his hold on Imarina as a saddened mother takes her dead daughter. "I'm so sorry... I couldn't... but I should've..."

Mystia sobs into her paw. "Please... just go..."

He understands and leaves, his mind and body numb. Suddenly he's barreled into by multiple bodies and he can name off all of them: Jennyannydots, Rum Tum Tugger, Munkustrap, Coricopat, Tantomile, Cassandra, Exotica, and Gertha. He knows all of them are happy to see him alive, but he's not in the mood to put on a fake smile... still, he does it even if they can tell it's fake.

"We were so worried," Munkustrap says in his high tom-kit voice.

"We didn't know what happened to you," Jenny says sadly.

"I'm fine... I just... I just need some rest," he says, hugging them and getting up.

Suddenly a paw grabs his and he looks down at Tugger. "What's wrong?"

Skimble doesn't answer, merely ruffles the Maine Coon's head fur and walks to Silhouette's den to get some peace and quiet. Upon entry he sees the black and white tom-kit is up and his blue eyes automatically focus on the marmalade cat.

"There you are," breathes the Gumbie Cat, hugging him. "You worry me sick practically every time you walk out the door... what happened?"

"I... Ima's dead... She died on my watch."

The snow leopard pelted she-cat hugs him tighter and murmurs sweet nothings in his ear. Finally he's sent to bed and he curls up, feeling empty. He can't use his magic otherwise he'll turn into his dad, he already has a love for violence, he remembers from when he was a kit, and now Imarina's dead, Macavity might go crazy along with Skimble himself, and Skimble's paws are stained with more blood than he would rather admit. He suddenly understands his third name. He knew it from when he was a kit, before when his mom was alive... he knew, but he never understood why it was his third name.

_Guilt._

* * *

HAT: Yeah... Imarina died, and Marcus cast a spell on Macavity to make him go insane and now you know why Marcus is so evil.

Munkustrap: So wait... his dark magic took him from a great father and mate and then turned him into a cold blooded killer?

HAT: Yeah. He never wanted to hurt anyone, the good part, but since the dark magic took over, he has no choice, _but _only something powerful can bring him back, as you can see with the message from Persephone and earlier.

Munkustrap: *nods* Okay, that makes more sense... I just thought he was always bad, you know, born that way.

HAT: Technically he was, but he used his magic too much and then it was too late for him to turn back, so he went off the deep end.

Munkustrap: *shakes head* _Wow _you're an interesting authoress... anyway, Review.


	12. Things

HAT: Here's the next chapter!

_**Disclaimer: I do NOT own cats, only the plot of this story and the OCs.**_

* * *

It's been a few weeks since that day. Mystia's been keeping her distance from Skimbleshanks, which hurts him, but he understands. He spends more time with the kits, including Bombalurina (the red queen-kit), Demeter (the black and gold queen-kit), and Alonzo (the black and white tom-kit). He goes on the railway half of the time, busying his mind and learning how to be the next Railway Cat. Others try to comfort the orange adolescent, but he still feels guilty no matter what he or others do. He's stopped doing a lot of things: using his magic, fighting, sleeping, etc., but he's started doing things: keeping an eye on Macavity, the other kits, doing patrols, even helping raise the kits, etc. and he still feels like it isn't enough to make up for what he's done.

This is one of those rare days when someone wants to pick a fight on his walk back home and he frowns at the sight of a brown and gray Siamese tomcat. Skimbleshanks is in no mood to fight today, like any other day, and just wants to go home and sleep in Silhouette's den for a little while. He even voices this but the cat doesn't want to listen and the adolescent takes down the other tom with ease and continues his walk home, feeling the guilt piling on and he wonders if it gets any easier.

_Probably not,_ he thinks as he enters the junkyard and sees Mystia. He lowers his glass-green eyes and is half-way to the Gumbie Cat's den when he's knee deep in kits.

"How was the train today? Was it fun?"

"Did you have an adventure?"

"Is Ruthenbalt a good teacher?"

He's bombarded by questions and he manages to endure them until Alabaster manages to save him.

"Now kittens. Don't you all have something to do?"

"Yes, Alabaster," they say.

The white and brown tabby chuckles. "Kits... what're you gonna do with them?"

"I don't know... thanks."

"You're welcome... you've seemed troubled for quite some time," the old tom says.

Skimble glances at Mystia. "Yeah... How're you, sir?"

Alabaster makes a face. "Come now. I don't need that silly title anymore. It's my son that's leader."

The adolescent rolls his eyes at this. "Mhm..."

"I think you'll find that your life will get easier..." Alabaster says.

"My da's still out there and Barron is too... I doubt it'll get easier," mutters the one with the third name _Guilt._

"You can't have trouble all of your live... Come, I want to show you something."

Skimble's ears prick with what little interest his has in anything and he follows. "What is it?"

"A surprise."

Skimble frowns. "I don't like surprises."

"Well, you'll like this one... now where's Gus?"

_What does he need uncle Gus for?_ Skimble wonders, having long ago taken him on as an uncle figure. "I think he was near Silhou's den?"

"Of course," the old tom sighs, rolling his eyes and when they finally find him flirting with the queens Alabaster's eyes are darker than usual. "Gus! Quit your flirting and come on!"

Gus frowns until he sees Skimble. "What?"

"We're going to show Skimble something."

A broad grin from the theater cat. "I'm sorry ladies, but this is important. Maybe another time!"

"Oh! Gus, don't leave!"

"Another time," he promises as he climbs up the pile to be level with the other toms. "Are we doing the thing?"

_What thing?!_ Skimble can't help but wonder.

Alabaster nods. "Yes."

The two toms turn in a (seemingly) random direction and Skimble scrambles to follow. his mind swirling. All he wants to do is lie down and sleep, get his mind off of Imarina, Macavity, Marcus, and his own deeds. He wonders if it's too much to ask for, to forget. The three travel through the junkyard and Skimble's heart squeezes at the sight of Mystia with friends. He wants to be over there, but after what happened they haven't spoken to one another. He shakes his head as they exit the junkyard and wonders where they're going. They go into an abandoned building and climb up to the top floor, but before they enter a room Gus covers Skimble's eyes.

"I don't see the point in this!" Skimble calls.

"We're right here, no need to shout," Gus grumbles.

"You'll see when we show you," Alabaster says before they stop. "Aaaand... now you can look."

When Gus' paws are removed he rubs his glass-green eyes and opens his eyes to see an amazing view of the city as the sun is setting. He smiles and knows that Jenny's watching the other end of the sky like when they were kits, they always do that, even with each other when they have the chance. The city looks amazing from this height and with this lighting, he's enchanted. He c could stay here, peaceful and content, forever.

"Feeling better?" Gus asks.

"Much," Skimble breathes.

Alabaster pats the young tom's shoulder. "When you're ready, we'll go back."

"I don't think I'll ever be ready," the marmalade tom breathes.

The older toms chuckle. "Of course."

When Skimble finally decides to leave the night has taken over the sky. When they get back to the junkyard he's at ease and he decides to stay the night at Alabaster's and he collapses on the bed and immediately falls asleep.

* * *

A few weeks later and his life's gotten somewhat easier and he doesn't use any of his magic at all and the more he does this the weaker he feels, but he doesn't let anyone else know that because he doesn't want anyone to worry. Plenty of the kits spend time with him, Macavity sadly less and less, but he still gladly spends time with them. Demeter, Bombalurina, Cassandra, Tantomile, Exotica, and Gertha all sit in a group sometimes and glance in his direction, and occasionally (though it's very rare) one will have the courage to kiss him on the cheek and then scamper off to their squealing friends. He's still confused, but the more he thinks over it, the more he thinks about how they act with Gus. Anyway, he's spent the past few days in a row on the train and away from the junkyard so he's glad to come back with Ruthenbalt.

"Skimble's back!" Munkustrap cheers, running into the marmalade tom's arms and hugging him.

Skimble chuckles as he's tackled and hugged by kits. He even feels a few kisses from a few queen-kits He always loves being around them, their smiling faces making him smile even when he's in a horrible mood that day.

"Where'd you go?"

"Was it fun?"

"I love you forever." (whispered, of course) (A/N: I _had _to throw that in there, he _does _have fan-queens, after all)

"Did anything happen?"

"Can you take me with you?"

"I went back to Scotland for a little while and we stopped in plenty of cities and not much happened, really. It was fun when there were kittens on board, but I missed you, and I don't think I should take any of you with me for a little while. Besides, that's up to Ruthenbalt... and what was that, Bomba?"

The red queen blushes and shakes her head. "N-nothing," she stutters.

He rolls his eyes and manages to get up and suddenly he's face to face with Mystia. "Oh... hello."

"Hey," she says with a shy smile.

Suddenly Cassandra and Exotica are hugging him and the other queen-kits join in also, Coritopat, Tugger, Munkustrap, and Macavity glaring at her while placing themselves between him and her. They've all seen what her rejection's done to him.

"What do _you _want?" Macavity asks coldly.

"Mac, don't be so mean," Skimble scolds before turning his attention to his ex-queenfriend. "May I help you?"

"I- um- I'd like to talk to you. Do you mind if I steal you?" she asks nervously.

He nods. "Yeah, sure... now lassies, could you let me go?"

Reluctantly they all let go and the tom-kits reluctantly let him through so he can walk with Mystia. They walk in silence for a while to a secluded area and when they stop they feel so awkward. After all of this time apart it's hard for them to be together again when once it was so easy. They end up sitting on an old TV beside each other in silence for a while before Mystia sighs and Skimble notices her paw start in his direction, but she stops and pulls her hand back.

"I'm... My humans and I are moving," she breathes.

His heart shatters and he nods. "O-okay... I'm happy for you."

"But I'm not," she whispers. "I don't want to leave."

"Yeah, you have friends here and this has been your home since you were a kit," he nods.

"No, no, no, that's not it," she says, turning her body to face him. "Well... it's part of the reason, but it's not the main reason I'm upset about leaving."

"Then what is it?" he wonders before lips press against his and he's in shock as she pulls away.

"I still love you... I know you and I've been distant, and I've been afraid to come to you because I'd probably remind you of Ima and you're already so guilt ridden... and it's only recently that I realized that it's hurting you."

He blinks. "Really? I've been thinking that my presence reminded you that... that I couldn't save her," he murmurs, lowering his glass-green gaze.

She lifts his face with her paws. "It hurts that Imarina's gone... but it was as inevitable as a third name."

He bites his lip and shakes his head. "I could've done some-"

"Skimble... if you keep blaming yourself for that you'll end up hurting those that love you... it already kills Jen..."

"You don't understand... my third name... my third name explains everything..."

"I'll tell you my third name... and afterwards you tell me yours," she says. He blinks. Giving your third name is the most important thing you can give to another and only given to mates. He finally takes her paw in his and nuzzles her, silently encouraging her to go on while he tries to wrap his head around this. "_Selfish._"

"You could never be selfish," he says.

"But I am... I want so many things and the only way I can combat it is by doing things for others... but even then it doesn't work."

"My third name is _Guilt._"

"What do you have to be guilty of other than that?"

A sigh and a hanging head. "So many things... You don't understand how... how many things I've caused..."

She smiles. "I guess we've got names that don't describe us in other's eyes."

He gives a light chuckle. "Yeah... do third names change?"

A shrug. "I don't know, but if they do... yours would be _Selfless _because of how much you give to others."

"And yours would be _Peace _because of your ease in yourself and you put in the others," he says, kissing her temple before sighing. "When do you leave?"

"In a few days," she answers.

"Then let's make the most of it," he says before capturing her lips with his own.

* * *

HAT: Yep... that happened... Hope you enjoyed and I'll be getting to work on the next few chapters... this is almost pretty much it with the prewritten chapters.

Macavity: Of course it is.

HAT: I thought you were with Brittny.

Macavity: I was and I'm going back soon.

HAT: Oh... well, go on and say it.

Macavity: Review. WAIT DON'T GO INTO THE-

HAT: *jumps in black hole*

Macavity: *hands head* Great... _Munkustrap! She's your problem now!_

Munkustrap: Nope! Skimble, get her!

Skimble: *sighs* Pouncival, Tumblebrutus! Come on, you're helping me.

Pouncival & Tumblebrutus: But Uncle Skimble-!

Skimble: No buts!

Pouncival & Tumblebrutus: *sigh* Fine...


	13. Scotch & Guilt

HAT: Here's the next chapter and I assure you, you'll hate me... again. *sighs* I'm putting my favorite character through a lot of bull shit aren't I?

_**Disclaimer: I do NOT own cats, only the plot of this story and the OCs.**_

* * *

Mystia's gone, but they spent their remaining time together to the fullest and Skimble sulks on an empty seat on the train, the rhythm of the train not soothing him like it usually does. He misses her with a passion and wants nothing more than to see her again. After all of the crap he's been through, he's lingering on the newest wound. Ruthenbalt comes and stands next to the sulking tom and rolls his eyes, not used to him being this bad since the month Imarina had died. The black and white cat sympathizes with the heartbroken young tom, but he doesn't approve of the shirking of duties to sulk.

"Come now, you need to get to work. Get your mind off of her," Ruthenbalt says.

"Yes, sir," Skimble mumbles as he rises, his heart heavy.

Ruthenbalt sighs and shakes his head. "We'll have tea first."

They settle down for tea and Skimble smells something strange in his tea that he's noticed in Ruthenbalts on a rare few times, but he never knew what it was. He takes a sip and by the time he's finished he's more relaxed and has a clouded mind. He decides he likes whatever Ruthenbalt put in his drink.

"Let's get to work," Ruthenbalt says, patting the young tom's shoulder.

Skimble nods, following his mentor. He has to get his work done before he goes into a depression. He focuses and when he's finishes he's too tired to think and falls asleep.

-THE NEXT MORNING-

His head pounds and he groans, not knowing what he did. He shakes his head and gets some water, which helps a little bit, but not as much as he wanted. He goes into the kitchen to find what Ruthenbalt put in his drink and soon he saw the amber liquid and he reads the label '_Scotch_' and knows that it's alcoholic. He taps his chin and found that he _likes _the taste of Scotch. He opens the bottle and takes a sip and realizes it tastes pretty good! He takes a swig and closes it, putting it back here he found it. He thinks he'll put some in his tea from now on.

* * *

Skimble wakes up and looks around the den he's staying in: Silhouette's. Something's off, but he can't, for the life of him, figure it out. He pads out of the bedroom and goes into the living hs, going to her room and sees that the door is slightly ajar. He hesitates and ice grips his belly as he moves forward. He gets the feeling he'll regret what he's going to see, but he has to see it... He enters the bedroom and he's horrified at the gruesome sight. Silhouette's fur is matted with blood and her eyes are unseeing and Skimble backs away, his back hitting the wall and then he brings his paws up to wipe his tears away, but... there's blood covering them.

He takes a deep breath and yells, his glass-green eyes wide with fear and confusion before he drops to his knees and cries. He doesn't know how long he cries, but he knows that it's been a while and long enough for others to come for him.

"Skimble! Skimble, calm down!" roars Gus as he shakes the marmalade tom and then Skimble shudders and hugs the Theater Cat and he buries his face in the brown and black furred chest. "What happened?"

"I-I killed her," he whispers, showing the blood on his paws. "I... I killed her."

Gus looks from Skimble's paws to the dead Gumbie Cat and back again. "Skimble..."

The young tom can't take it anymore and tears away from Gus and runs past everyone as hot tears run down his furry cheeks. His heart pounds and aches with each beat and he wants nothing more than to die for what he's done, but... He's suddenly tackled and he tries to fight, but it's Alabaster and there's a car zooming by. Skimble's afraid he's caused another death, but Alabaster's perfectly fine and uninjured, thankfully. Too many have been hurt because of Skimble.

"You could've gotten killed!" Alabaster roars, checking for any injuries. "Are you alright?"

Skimble bites his lip and shakes his head. "I... I killed her... I don't deserve to live! I deserve to die!"

Alabaster grips the younger cat's shoulders tightly and makes him look in his own eyes. "Don't you _ever _say that... you, more than anyone, deserve a happy life after everything you've been through... you've been through more than even me and you deserve better than this... you need to stop living in the past so much and enjoy the present... you also need to learn to forgive yourself," Alabaster says, his voice growing soft at the end.

Skimbleshanks looks up at the white and brown tabby with sad glass-green eyes. "... can your third name be changed?"

This shocks the old tom. "What?"

"Can your third name change?" Skimble asks again, more urgently this time.

"Why do you ask?"

The brown tailed tom lowers his gaze and bites his lip. "Because... I want to know if mine can change."

After a minute the former leader nods. "I suppose so, after a bit of time and change."

"Oh... okay."

Then there's a familiar laugh that makes Skimble's fur stand up and he sees Alabaster's angered face and turns around slowly to see a brown tabby with glass-green eyes. "So... have you given up son?"

Skimble gets in a crouch, but his paws shake still from the previous realization that he killed Silhouette. He killed one of those he cared about, like his da with his ma. He's no better than the dark brown tomcat and he's ridden with guilt. So many died because of him. So many unnecessary deaths and it's all Skimbleshanks' fault.

"_Guilt_," Marcus whispers, lifting his paw as an offer. "Come here and I will change your third name to something grand."

Alabaster shakes his head. "No... Skimble, if you go you'll be him... you're better than that."

"How? I've killed so many..." the young tom mutters.

"Don't think of the past, forgive yourself," Alabaster whispers. "You did all of it to protect those you love... but you must learn to let go."

Marcus lunges forward with a snarl at Alabaster and Skimble hurls himself in front of the ex-leader and his throat's slashed at and he drops into Alabaster's arms in shock. Marcus stands there breathing heavily and staring at his son in shock before his gaze lowers to his bloodied claws. His paws shake before tears fall from his eyes and he runs from the scene before him. Alabaster picks up the dying young tom and rushes back to the junkyard, whispering that it will be alright as he half-runs so not to jar him to much.

"_Skimble!_" multiple voices yell in alarm.

"Jenny... Jenny, you have to help your brother," Alabaster says.

"I-I..." Skimble can hear her crying and it's one of the saddest sounds in the world to him.

He opens his eyes and lifts his paw so his fingers brush some stray head fur from her face. "_I'll be right here, now... to hold you when the sky falls down... I will always... be... the one to... take your place... when the rain... falls... I won't let go... I'll... be right... here,_" he whispers to her in a broken voice and since blood's coming from his mouth and making it harder to breathe.

She calms down and orders Alabaster in helping Skimble with new found confidence. Skimble, who is close to death, can see the ghosts of Silhouette and their mother, Persephone helping and guiding Jenny as she gets to work on him. He smiles and purrs and they smile at him, mouthing words to him in sync, but he can't hear them, only see their lips moving. He catches a few _I love you's _and then he sees them mouth something that he's not able to make out, but when he hears them whisper...

_We're always here... Brave..._

And then he passes out.

* * *

HAT: Yep, and that's how I end the chapter.

Deuteronomy: *stands there with arms crossed*

HAT: What?

Deuteronomy: *shakes head* Mm...

HAT: What's with the disapproving 'mm'?

Deuteronomy: *shakes head and uncrosses arms, walking away* Mm...

HAT: Mm... well, that happened. Review please!


	14. Third Names

HAT: Two chapters in one day! The next one won't be out for a while. This is it with the prewritten stuff. Well, hope you enjoy... I mean, I know it's hard, but still, seeing Skimble go through all of this must be angering and trying. I wonder how you stomach reading this.

_**Disclaimer: I do NOT own cats, however I do own the plot and OCs.**_

* * *

Glass-green eyes crack open and look around. It's too bright, he notices, and he had to blink repeatedly to see that he's in Silhouette's den. He looks to the side and sees Jennyanydots curled into Alabaster's side while Munkustrap is curled in her lap. Skimble rolls his eyes at the latter, remembering that Munkustrap has a crush on the new Gumbie Cat. He notices Deuteronomy has his other two sons in his lap, but something catches Skimble's attention:

Yellow eyes.

Macavity's awake.

"Mac... what're you doing up?" Skimble asks in a rough, strained whisper. Macavity doesn't respond and this silence makes the fur on the young orange tom's spine. "Mac... Mac!"

The ginger kit shakes his head and focuses on the injured adolescent. "You're awake."

Skimble decides he shouldn't tell Macavity what just happened and nods. "Yeah..."

"You shouldn't be speaking," Macavity complains.

"I'm a rule breaker," Skimble whispers, a mischievous smile on his face, causing his little friend t laugh quietly.

"You want some water?"

"Yeah." Skimble drinks the water greedily and then smiles at the ginger tom-kit. "Thanks."

Macavity curls against Skimble's side and he squeezes his eyes shut. "I don't want you to die."

Skimble scratches him behind the ear, guilt bubbling in his chest. "I'm sorry for hurting you so much..."

"Can you stop? You know, fighting Marcus?" the tom-kit asks, looking up at him with big yellow eyes.

Skimble slowly shakes his head. "Not until he's no longer a threat."

A frown. "It's not fair... you don't deserve that."

The orange tabby heaves a sigh. "Life, sadly, isn't fair..."

Yellow eyes water up. "You're my big brother..."

"Hey, hey... it's okay... I'll do my best to not die, okay?"

The kit sniffles. "Promise?"

"Yes, I promise," Skimble murmurs, nuzzling his younger friend.

The fiery colored tom-kit falls asleep against his side and he's left to think for however long it will be since he doesn't know when the others will wake up. His father, Marcus, is a killer, but... some part of him, however small that part may be, is still there. He saw it in that quick moment before Marcus left. The brown tom looked like he really regretted what he did to his son and that's enough to convince Skimble that he can save his father.

_Brave._

He doesn't know why his mother and the deceased Gumbie Cat called him that, his Third Name is _Guilt._

"You're up," Alabaster mutters as he wakes up.

Skimble blinks and smiles sheepishly. "Yeah..."

"You're lucky to be alive, I didn't know if I would be able to get you here in time."

The marmalade young tom nods before his eyebrows come together. "Alabaster?"

The white and brown tom's eyebrows shoot up. "Yes?"

"Is it possible... to have more than one third name?"

Alabaster tilts his head. "What do you mean?" Skimble hesitates, not knowing whether or not he should mention to what he heard two dead she-cats say. "What is it?"

"... When... when you got me here to Jenny, while she was working on me... I saw my ma and Silhouette... they called me _Brave,_ but my third name is different."

He tilts his head. "Well... there are always two sides to everything... good and bad, dark and light... it makes sense for there to be two Third Names. One for the negative and one for the positive. Perhaps the Third Name you know and the Third Name everyone else knows you as."

That borh does and doesn't make sense to him, but... it _does _and he doesn't know how this makes sense, but he shakes his head and then nods. "Okay..."

Jenny wakes up and tears spring to her eyes and she immediately throws her arms around her brother, mindful of the sleeping ginger kit. "Thank the Everlasting you're alive," she sobs, her chocolate brown eyes squeezing shut and letting out tears.

"Shh, shh, it's okay, I'm here," the older brother replies. "I'm right here."

Alabaster stands and rubs Skimble's ear before walking to the door, a funny look on his face that makes Skimble speak. "Alabaster... what're you thinking?"

The ex-leader stops and then sighs. "That Marcus is becoming a problem that we need to make sure is taken care of."

Fear courses through Skimble, not only because he doesn't want anyone dying because of _his _problem, but because he has a chance of saving his father. _What am I gonna do?_

* * *

HAT: Another chapter over and done.


	15. Warning of Death

HAT: OMG! This is the second to last chapter! One left and then _Scottish Siblings_ will officially be complete! And, quite honestly, I've been working on this since before _Unpredictable and Unexpected (Mostly)_ so it's been a long time coming! *sniffles* I'm so proud. This story is my baby! Anyway, before I get emotional and let you read the story I want to tell you to do something for me:

_**Read my story that I made with Magical Miss Brittstoffelees called **_**Unheard of _as soon as you can! Please and thank you!~_**

_**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Cats, however I do own the plot and OCs because if I did own Cats Deuteronomy would pull a Yoda and beat Macavity down by using the Force then hobble away like a G... hey... I think I feel another story coming on!**_

* * *

Skimble paces, his fur bristling and glass-green eyes filled with agitation as his tail flicks in frustration. He can sense something big coming and he can't possibly figure out what. Suddenly he feels someone behind him and he whirls around to look at Coricopat and Tantomile. Their eyes are filled with something he's never seen and they look terrified. Before he can even ask what was wrong with them they run over to him and throw their arms around him, which is something shocking because they don't show their emotions much anymore.

"What is it?" he asks hugging them back tightly.

"D-don't go out there," Tantomile sobs.

"P-please stay here," Coricopat begs.

Skimbleshanks has never been so confused in his life, but he knows that it has something to do with the feeling in his gut. "Why?"

"P-pollicles," Coricopat whispers.

Tantomile looks up at him with teary brown eyes. "Marcus..."

Blue eyes and brown eyes meet his glass-green eyes as they speak together. "Death."

He nuzzles them comfortingly. "Don't worry, shh, shh," he murmurs, nuzzling them in hopes of keeping them calm.

"It's too late, we're worried because we know how you are," Coricopat snaps.

He winces. "Can I prevent it?" The twins look unsure. "I see... you only saw one moment."

They nod and when they cal down they stay curled at his side. This gives him time to think about Marcus. There was a part of the old Marcus in there somewhere underneath that dark magic, some part of him that understands all of what he's done and doing is wrong and wants to stop. Skimble remembers that his father had a strong-will so it must've taken a lot longer for the dark magic to overcome him tan a regular cat. Skimble closes his eyes and tries to take a nap, but he feels something in his gut twist and looks up at Gus.

"What is it?" Skimble demands quietly.

"Jenny was kitnapped by Marcus," Gus gasps.

Fear courses through the marmalade young tom and his glass-green eyes flash with worry. His little sister was kitnapped by a mad cat! All warnings heeded to him by the mystic twins fly out the window as he rushes to aid his younger sister, the one that had been his purpose for so long. Gus streaks after the young tom, catching the eye of Alabaster who quickly follows. Marcus, who had killed Persephone, Marcus, who had tortured Skimble and his friends, Marcus, who broke Jenny's heart by killing Coristo, Marcus... who was Skimble's loving father and at one time was the best father in the world. Marcus runs through the worried tabby's mind as he sets off to rescue his sister.

_I'll save you, Jenny... even if I have to die,_ Skimble thinks, suddenly remembering the twin's vision. He knows he's going to die, but at least he'll die protecting Jenny.

"Skimble! Stop and think about this!" Alabaster begs.

Skimble does listen, merely picks up the pace by going to all fours. He can't stop, a mere second can mean saving Jenny and losing her and he can't take that chance. He breathes in and gathers his magic despite the consequences that could come and his eyes glow brightly as he wills his body to move faster than should be possible. Following the scent, he manages to spot the two in the distance, Jenny fighting Marcus every step of the way. His heart sinks and soars at this sight and Marcus turns around with his eyes.

"Ah, what a pleasant family reunion! Together at last," the brown tabby purrs, his ivory fangs chilling Skimble to the bone.

"Let Jenny go," Skimble demands.

Marcus feigns a hurt look. "After just getting her back? No, I can't let her go!"

Skimble glances at Jenny and sees her shaking in fear... because of _him_. Skimble doesn't want his little sister to stare at him like that and the magic dies and his eyes lose their glow. Marcus chuckles, making the brown tailed young tom turn his gaze to him.

"So weak, my son... Being with the Jellicles has softened you."

Skimble hears Gus and Alabaster come near and he bristles. "_No!_ Being with them strengthened me."

"Then kill your sister," Marcus says, pushing Jenny to the ground.

"What?" Skimble demands.

"She's the one you love most," Marcus says. "So kill her."

Skimble moves forward and Jenny flinches, looking afraid that he'd do as his father told him and that hurts him. How can his sister lose all faith and trust in him like that? He holds out his paw and silently asks her to trust him. She takes his paw and he pushes her in Gus and Alabaster's direction and the two catch the young queen.

"Take Jen and go!" Skimble orders.

"But Skimble-" Gus starts.

"GO!" Skimble roars, his eyes glowing furiously as his fur prickles with magic dancing on his fur.

The cats in front of him back away before grabbing Jennyanydots and running back to the junkyard. Skimble feels another part of him die with this use of magic and he steps forward, not caring at one more cat being added to the list of those he killed. Marcus has a feral grin, one that would normally send chills through Skimble's spine, but at this moment, in Skimble's current state of mind, it'a playful grin like when the two used to play fight in front of the barn. The two leap forward and as they wrestle, Skimble's laughter echo with Marcus' and then he hears a gasp and he focuses on Alabaster and his sanity snaps back as Marcus's claws graze against his shoulder and he lets it out a cry of pain.

"Going soft on me again?" Marcus asks.

_Don't let the dark magic get to you,_ Skimble thinks, remembering that it lead to Silhouette's death. The young marmalade tom backs up into Alabaster and his eyes cloud with guilt and then suddenly loud barking sounds nearby and all three cats feel fear course through their veins, a pack of pollicles coming in the cat's direction. Survival instincts kick in and the three share a look, agreeing to put aside all differences to get away from the pollicles.

"Run!" Alabaster yowls, grabbing Skimble's scruff and throwing him in front of himself to give the young tom a better chance of escape.

The three cats get on all fours to run, trying their best to outrun the canines, but the felines are soon cornered by large pollicles whose teeth gleam ivory. Skimble shakes, his glass-green eyes taking each pollicle. He's killed skilled cats before, but only one pollicle and it was rather small. Alabaster and Marcus don't hesitate in jumping on a pollicle. There are four. Skimble figures that if he can have these two chase after him, they won't bother with his fathers (one of blood and one that grew to become that role). He streaks away from the group, the two pollicles chasing him.

"_Skimble!_" Two male voices yell in worry.

_Run, run, run!_ His heart screams to him.

_Faster! Faster!_ His instincts roar.

_Don't stop! _His body begs.

His very being is crying out, _Don't get eaten!_

He can't stop otherwise he'll be lunch, but if he keeps running he'll lose energy. He sees a tree and starts up it only for his scruff to be grabbed and him to be yanked down. He whimpers as their claws sink into his scruff. He's going to die.

"_NO!_" an outraged and panicked male voice roars.

* * *

HAT: What's happened?! I know!

Tantomile: I know, too.

HAT: Well, don't tell them! I mean, if you do, how on earth am I supposed to put up the final chapter without completely changing everything?

Tantomile: This is what happens in the next chapter, HAT m-

HAT: *holds cue card up*

Tantomile: -_- Fine... Review, please... and she's holding the final chapter until she gets five more review... Isn't that going to take a while?

HAT: Which means they wait longer.

Tantomile: That's... harsh.

HAT: I never said I was nice... well, I mean I am, but I never said I always am. I mean look at this story, there aren't many nice parts in it, now is there?

Tantomile: ... true.

HAT: You have a crush on Skimble, huh?

Tantomile: -_- *leaves*

HAT: *grins and giggles before leaving* REVIEW PLEASE!


	16. Returned and Lost Again

HAT: -_- I hate my laptop sometimes... But I love it all the same. Sorry for the mix up! Here's the **_REAL_**final chapter.

_**Read my story that I made with Magical Miss Brittstoffelees called **_**Unheard of _as soon as you can! Please and thank you!~_**

_**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Cats, however I do own the plot and OCs because if I did own Cats Skimbleshanks would be dominating!**_

* * *

"_NO!_" a voice roars and...

Skimble waits for the pain... but it doesn't come. He sees a brown body in front of him, throat in the jaws of a pollicle. Skimble cries out and his magic bursts and he loses it, killing the pollicle that killed his father, killing the pollicle that is nearby, killing the final two just for being pollicles. Grief is a difficult thing to deal with. Marcus is going to die and Skimble would never have the chance to save him.

"S-Skimble... calm down, son," a weak voice begs, dragging Skimbleshanks back to reality.

"Da!" the young marmalade tom cries, falling to his knees in front of his father.

"Hello, lad," the dying, blood covered brown tom says, his glass-green eyes clear, the old Marcus back. A brown, bloodstained paw lifts up to wipe away the tears from his son's face. "Shh, shh... it's going to be fine. I knew the consequences of saving you and it's worth it, especially to die as myself..."

Skimble lets out a choked sob. "P-please, don't die, da... I just got you back."

Marcus purrs, a sign that death is coming to take him. "If I don't, I'll hurt everyone I love... let me go, please..."

The orange tom nods, his body trembling. "I-I love you."

A smile. "I love you, too, and please let Jenny know that I love her as well... I'm sorry, to you, to Jenny, to your tribe... please let them know I didn't want to."

"I swear," the fourteen year old promises, nuzzling his father.

A rough, deep, gurgling purr rumbles in Marcus' chest as he wipes away another tear. The last breath leaves and his paw falls. Skimble's tears mingle with his father's blood on his face from where the paw was and he lets out a soul shattering yowl, his heartbreak heard anywhere his voice reached. Alabaster limps over and places a paw on Skimble's shoulder.

"I'm sorry," Alabaster mutters,his eyes looking tired.

_No, don't you die, too, _Skimble silently begs, his glass-green eyes alive unlike his father's. "Alabaster? Are you alright?"

Alabaster purrs and drops to his knees. "Yes, quite."

The adolescent grips Alabaster's paw. "Please don't die..."

"I will not die," the old Jellicle leader promises.

Skimble gets up and supports Alabaster before looking at Marcus' body. He doesn't want his dad to be on the streets to get ran over and eaten by the ravens. He doesn't know how he should do this. Alabaster gets on all fours and walks like this, easier than walking on two when injured, and Skimble hauls his dad's body towards the junkyard, catching Alabaster any time he stumbles. As soon as the two enter the junkyard Coricopat and Tantomile tackle the two living cats, purring and nuzzling them.

"You're alive!" they sigh in relief.

Skimble puts on a smile. "Yeah, we lived..." He glances at a limp brown body and the twins do as well, wincing at the sight. "Help Alabaster get to Jenny's den."

They nod and get the white and brown tabby through the junkyard while Skimble picks up his dad's body and trudges towards the clearing and then he realizes that he did save his dad, in the very end, because he died the father he was before his magic took him over and then manages to get to the clearing before he had to stop and collapse. Cats gather around, looking ready to mangle the dead body or their tormentor, but Skimble fiercely protects the body.

"Why defend him?! He's caused so much grief," Macavity roars.

"His dark magic took over him and he didn't want to do any of it! He died himself and he told me to tell you he was sorry for everything, to me, to Jen, to the entire tribe," Skimble hisses, hugging his deceased father's body closer to him. "He died saving me..."

Macavity glares at Skimble and the sad teenager looks at Macavity. Then the ginger form disappears and Skimble closes his eyes at the feeling of his magic acting up and he tries to keep calm, but its really hard. Suddenly he feels another's presence... three cats that weren't there before and he lifts his gaze to see three cats: Persephone, Silouette, and... Imarina. His eyes water at the sight of the small deceased calico she-kit and she moves forward, putting her paw on his face.

"Shh, it's okay," she whispers on the breeze. "Tell Mac I love him... and please don't lose yourself... You don't lose yourself either, Skimble."

He nods the slightest bit before he feels the three spirits rub against him until their touch was just a ghost of a touch on his fur (A/N: Lol, had to, couldn't stop myself). Death seems to be something that's far too common. He moves to haul his father on his shoulders again when suddenly he feels another help him. he looks down at his little sister, surprised.

"What're you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be caring for Alabaster?"

"He's going to be fine... I have to help you bury da," she whispers.

Tears catch in his throat. "He... he told me to tell you that he was sorry for... for everything," he chokes out.

"I know," she whispers before they hear something and whirl around to face Barron.

Skimble hisses and arches his back and stands on his toes, guarding his sister.

"I come in peace," Barron assure, his eyes holding something that Skimble always saw a hint of before but now sees full blast. Respect. "You are a strong-willed young tom... you had been since you were a kit... I have come to give you my respect."

The tom bows to Skimble and he doesn't want to kill this tom anymore... he's killed too many. "I accept... if you swear to never come here again."

Barron stands up straight, his eyes holding mixed emotions. "Thank you... and this I swear to you... I will not live another day. I finally realized my Third Name and what it truly meant..."

Skimble knows it because of the bond they'd made, the negative and sliver of positive that was always there, the respect each cat held for one another when Skimble was a slave for the both of them being so strong in their ways. "_Redemption._"

Barron nods. "Ever since our last battle I've been hunting down scum like myself and ending their slave trading... now there's only one left," the slave trader mutters. "You've taught me a lot, Skimbleshanks. You deserve a happy life after everything I put you through, everything you've been through. Maybe I'll see you in another life... a better life... _Brave._"_  
_

Skimbleshanks nods and watches the remaining enemy leave for the last time. Now there's no one to hurt and torment him... Except, eventually, Macavity, who has already lost a lot of himself. He shakes his head and he and his sister bury the brown tom. After this was done they climb to the top of a junk pile and sit back to back, looking at opposite ends of the sky, like always... like in the old days before any of the terrible things started to happen in their lives. Skimble's eyes watch the sun set, his heart plummeting with it. They sit there awake, looking at each end of the sky and then the dawn breaks and Skimble watches the night leave.

"Skimble," Jenny whispers.

"Hm?" he hums.

"Let's watch the same end of the sky for once... turn around," she whispers.

He turns and for the first time watches a new day come and something swells in his chest... something he had nearly forgotten about and thought he had no capability of holding anymore.

Hope.

* * *

HAT: There! The final chapter to this long series.

Demeter: And it took you how long?

HAT: Shush up!

Demeter: Isn't there soemthing you wanted to say?

HAT: Oh, yeah! Which of my stories (that you remember since I took it down) would you want me to write next? If you want your input just type in your review and hit the really pretty silver 'Post Review' button.

Demeter: *rolls eyes* You have a thing for shiny things don't you?

HAT: Pretty shiny things, get it right.

Demeter: Anyway. Review.


	17. SEQUEL ALERT

HAT: Yeah, you read the thing right, there's a sequel...

Kohana: Um... HAT, you've got to give a little bit more information than that.

HAT: *blinks* Oh, okay. Well, it's sort of a sequel. It just goes over major events that happen from after this story and go on until I say so.

Kohana: I know that you've already thought of and yes, it's an actual sequel.

HAT: Well, depending on how it comes out. Either way, there's gonna be something added onto it.

Kohana: If you like this idea-

HAT: Then would you please-

Both: REVIEW!


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